Home Page 2024
Research and Conservation
There are a variety of farming methods used in the past that are now being reconsidered whereby protection of biodiversity and farming activity can go hand in hand. We believe that this is the ideal way to go, as everybody wants to see the country remain healthy and attractive and we all need to survive and thrive in small rural areas where there may be no other opportunities to make a living. We hope to find out what exactly these proposals entail and how we can contribute in terms of research and information so that landowners may be able to encourage whatever biodiversity is on their property, rather than pursue a difficult path of reclamation which will quickly remove all biodiversity particular to that area.
Greater Butterfly Orchid, Plantathera chlorantha This plant can be tall, prominent and emotionally rewarding when seen on a mountain pasture (Bricklieve Mtns), or in large numbers as in farmland location (BELOW).
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Summer species to be considered include:
• Frog Orchid: in large numbers at Strandhill. • Fragrant Orchids: found around L. Gara.. • Marsh Helleborine: widespread lakeshores. • Bog Orchid: rare in tiny streams in pools on mountain slopes. • Dark Red Helleborine: Declining; north Clare July. • Green Flowered Helleborine: Rare and elusive; Dublin & Leitrim July
Local Orchid Sites
The Compass links below bring you to outstanding
botanical Sites in, or near, Co. Roscommon. It is Home
to us now, and it has a greatly underestimated range
of Flora and Plant habitats. Go out an Explore! Just
click on any of the 4 Blue Compass points…
CLICK IMAGE
where you see
this Icon.
WildWest.ie
The Image above is just a gentle guide to
where we find, and when we find, some rare
small orchids that festoon our countryside in
Spring. Spiranthes flowers somewhat later.
The Compass in the centre of our image above
represent where we live in north Roscommon,
Ireland. We have listed around it the other
orchid species that flower from May to June.
We admit to delays in keeping pace with the
Seasons and this will change as soon as we can
start to see and record large numbers
(hopefully) of Irish Lady’s Tresses. In the
meantime enjoy some of our rarest smaller
species; just click on the points of the Compass
to go to various Orchid types.
WELCOME to our HOMEPAGE: This is our Reference Page. For other Specialities: GO toto SITE MAP (RIGHT)
Dense Flowered Orchid
2023
WildWest.ie
Apologies for absence of available Lady’s Tresses; they are simply flooded or broken or
inaccessible! There is still a possibility the Orchid may re-emerge if there is a reduction in our
present very high level of rain. The mountain, Nephin, towers over the lakes and lowlands and
probably attracts wind borne seeds to this place over the years. In the meantime we show a
collection of recent images some from higher ground and some underwater. This species can
survive well under water but not in stormy conditions. At present our records show about 300
plants — half what we recorded last year and even lower than 2021. BELOW are two fine clumps
from Victoria Bay on east Lough Conn with BELOW LEFT a rare specimen away from the
immediate shore and growing happily on a stony drainage ditch beside a bog!
Raised Water Levels show up well in the 4
images Above and Left of this box. Several
of these images show specimen growing
under water and looking like survivors
when we visited. Most shores on the North
West corner of L. Cullin have continuous
specimens of Spiranthes but not in large
numbers.
The main population of this species in the
area lies along the top shore of L. Cullin
either side of the Pontoon Bridge. Both of
these areas have been hit with problems.
East of the Bridge a large population (90+)
Spiranthes romanzoffiana has been largely
wiped out by a small number of horses
grazing here, where they never used to
graze much before.
West of the Bridge is a smaller colony
occurring both on a headland and the
coast alongside the R310 connecting both
sides of these large lakes. L. Cullin is
shallow and stony and L. Conn is deep with
fewer visible boulders away from its
shores.
All these Photos are available at a
larger scale; just click on the Image!
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
21a
2022
22a
2023
Low numbers due to
July/Aug flooding.
See BOTTOM of this Page…
Part Survey, The Lagoon, N.
L. Conn. Flood placed seeds.
YEAR Description Count/Link
Seed maturation/release!
All DATA for 2022
Spiranthes numbers, places,
association, etc
Conservation , conclusion,
new plans. (1 of 2 pages)
New survey sites but number
down due to floods.
Settlement pattern analysis
FIRST nearly full Survey.
‘Coming from America?
Spiranthes romanzoffiana in
Ireland
We have a very large data source from the
biggest survey site of this species in
Europe.…
Our Site Map is now on a separate
page. Click on Text or IMAGE to go to
years of work in our Wild places.
3
2
1
Autumn Lady’s Tresses
for any further Information you seek.
The Images Below show the Situation that brought the 2023 Spiranthes season to an end! From mid July until mid January 2024, Ireland has endured a deluge.
CLIMATE CHANGE seems to be playing with us! After a long Hot Spring the rest of the Summer became wet and has remained so until 2024
Apart from S. romanzoffiana 4 other rare white flowering
Orchids are prevalent in this part of NW Ireland. Why?
And WHY also are they all white flowered!
Early SUMMER
Early SPRING
SUMMER
Unfortunately the Flooding shown below marked the end of our 2023 survey for Irish Lady’s
Tresses. The few plants below were quickly submerged and remain under water! However
they will emerge in 2024 rain permitting and allowing Lake shores to dry out next Summer.
Use the 1.2.3. Guides to focus on Orchids, other wild Plants, and Rare Species. OTHER important SITES are listed in our SITE
MAP (2) where you will find a very large collection of data and info over many years.
The Irish Lady’s Tresses seed capsule shown LEFT because of the uniqueness of these photographs.. The TABLE also
provides Links to many years of recording Spiranthes. romanzoffiana
Annual Reports of this species around 3 north Mayo Lakes reporting Numbers, Survival and Reproduction. This Table will also
be retained. (AUGUST 2024)
Spiranthes romanzoffiana is back in Mayo
It’s been17 years since our Routine Counts started… (22nd July 2024)
Following a recent survey we are happy to publish our first set of this year’s Irish Lady’s Tresses emerging in
L. Cullen. Two of us made a preliminary survey of L. Cullin and L. Conn and Levally Lough. This yielded 214
specimens around the 3 lakes… but left much more ground for further research and late flowering plants.
Spiranthes emerges at different times to do with moisture and temperature and maturity of the underground root.
They need a rest and so do we. NEXT SURVEY STARTS 7th August. CALL 0863900731
Last week WildWest.ie started the ball rolling with a week‘s study in glorious Foxford. Much ground was covered
and much remains. Often sites will need to be visited, once or twice, as this species may emerge in early Summer
and even late Summer. L. Cullin and L. Conn and Levally Lough have made up the running total shown ABOVE.
This species clearly emerges in groups (or singly) throughout its season — which is a long one governed always
by water retreating and then taking over again. If we get to September without plants submerging we will happy
but THIS REQUIRES MORE HELP… If October comes and plants are well flooded they won’t flower this year!
Where to Look… for Spiranthes romanzoffiana in the Summer of 2024:
Have you seen plants like these (ABOVE) on your Farm or Shoreline or any lowland grassy areas close to
water. There is nothing exactly matching the spiral flower of this species but look for flat, moist, grassy or sandy
shorelines, or among low growing bushes like Myrtle and Alder and Royal Fern, plentiful on most shores.
Help and Report
HELP is welcome… but try to avoid damage. This plant
is protected under The Flora Protection Order and we
must avoid any wilful damage. e.g. watch where you
sit or lie when taking photographs.
REPORT or SHOW US where you have found this plant.
We may have seen it around the Lakes but please do
tell us where you found it.
An Orchid, rare in Europe, has its major stronghold in Ireland!
CALL/TEXT/eMail: 0863900731 (David) or 0868162447 (Frances)
PREFIX: Add 00353 if you are out of Ireland:
Other Later flowering species… Spiranthes spiralis and others.
There are a few other species we want to promote. These are dispersed geographically and their season ends in Autumn with Spiranthes romanzoffiana’s cousin, the Autumn’s Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) which come and go very easily but may appear in vast numbers if a location is right. These may be ’cousins’ but they have a different lifestyle with mass colonisation in habitats that suit them perfectly — dunes, golf courses, etc . S. romanzoffiana habitually occurs within 50cm above low water level but this can be a considerable ‘width’ if the shores are flat or gentle. S. spiralis is hardly ever found away from water. They may shed seeds locally but there is also some evidence of aerial distribution from east Europe and Asia. It is all very fascinating and it is rewarding to add to the pool of knowledge of spiralis, as we have done for romanzoffiana! Getting to know S. romanzoffiana has been a rewarding experience and has brought us contacts through Europe and America — it is an American species! Autumn’s Lady’s Tresses is not an American species BUT one which occurs with S. romanzoffiana in Ireland. It seems coincidental/amazing that they occur in such vast numbers on our western seaboard? Kew Gardens show their distribution as all southern Europe (up to Ireland and Britain) Turkey, Iran, Iraq, North West Africa and the Himalayas. Another great Spiranthes traveller! Projection for 2024 Following on last year’s results, we have undertaken a week long survey operating from a base in Foxford. The starting date was Sunday 21st July. We knew this was an early start but had some indication that we might detect Spiranthes that we knew of in perfect and safe conditions. This hunch pulled off and we had identified 200+ within 4 days. These plants are growing rapidly and barring some weather disaster we can tick that group and other groups and ‘record them as safe’. Spiranthes land is best left fallow. But the land they grow on is not much use for livestock. But it could be useful for an ACRES Account! After this initial flush we had some long walks yielding little and 2 formerly very productive sites on the west shore of L. Conn yielded virtually nothing. One site at Massbrook Shore probably has no immediate potential (substrate too sandy) but another coastal strip to the north has yielded a hundred or so specimens in the past and, significantly, the bed, the soil, and the habitat all look as ideal as before. Also, we have a recollection that this is an August Spiranthes bed. There are several other locations like this that can host a large number of seedlings within a short period of time and over a long period.. The remainder of this Page serves to compare last year’s impaired count with whatever the count for this year (2024) brings. If the weather remains reasonably dry around the 3 major Lakes we may yet find many more. RESULTS for 20247 September 2024 534
The SPACE Below will expand as Surveys reveal new specimens and locations.
RESULTS for 2023
NOTE: All GREY areas below refer to 2023 DATA.
(Last year was incomplete due to early flooding.)
Photographs further down show flooding levels before the total area was flooded
and the survey was ended. Flowering came to early end as flooding became established;
so instead of a ‘guesstimate’ of about 550 - 600 the actual 2023 result was about 371
Help in 2024
Your Researchers would very much appreciate tip-offs to locations and plants like those listed below (from 2023). So have a look at the various scenarios for these plants — shown below and let us know where we can find them and record
them to an ever increasing collection of Spiranthes biodiversity in Mayo. Weather looks settled and we do still have a month (or more) to count on these elusive plants. You can forward us your counts (Phone Numbers above). If you are sure
of identification and can give precise location we will gladly add them to our tally. Keeping an accurate record like this supports our biodiversity and stops environmental damage.
Spiranthes spiralis
We have recently surveyed the area involved and due to careful management by the owner, the numbers of this increasingly threatened species are increasing on her farm. But other hills in the region have lost similar clusters of
this very attractive species. However, on another part of the Kesh/ Bricklieve slopes is being protected by exclusion of animals at the time of flowering. Look at this landscape and, if you see big flamboyant white flowers (often
quite tall) peering up through the rough grassland, then you are looking at a site that is probably rich in rare lime loving plants and animals.
One of the later flowering Orchids in Ireland is the Greater Butterfly Orchid, along with Spiranthes, Fragrant Orchids and Frog Orchids. This Autumn (2023) left us free to further investigate and report on rare species we had
recorded earlier in the year. These are listed below along with some flooded pictures of L. Conn and L. Cullin. The rest of this page focuses on Spiranthes spiralis and other rarities Large numbers of this species have been seen
around NW Mayo and certain parts of north Sligo. They can appear in large groups in short grass (Parks and Golf Clubs) or also in Dunes and Marram with much open space between tussocks. e.g. around Cross Lough and The
Mullet, where we have seen them in their 1000’s.
S.romanzoffiana
Spiranthes spiralis
Studying the Flood
Small White Orchid