2002 Northern Ireland 31 May - 4 June Main Meeting
The initial WFS Northern Ireland meeting began on Friday evening with an excellent reception in the Ulster Museum. Our hosts were the Belfast Naturalists Field Club led by their charming president, Mrs Joan Semple. Joan and her committee had prepared an itinerary designed to show us the variety of habitats in Ulster and to kick things off, Keeper of Botany at the Museum, Paul Hackney gave us a most interesting presentation with slides by way of introduction to the Irish flora.
Our first stop on Saturday was at historic Mount Stewart. The gardens here are glorious with surprises at every turn. Of course, concentration is on specimen plants but the natural flora was there in abundance. Native ferns were prolific, especially Osmunda regalis (royal fem) which has a sturdy upright habit in N. Ireland. Oxalis exilis (least yellow sorrel) ran through many of the planted areas, with Lysimachia nemorum (yellow pimpernel) prolific in grassland. Flowering Myriophyllum verticillatum (spiked water-milfoil) filled a pond where Carex distans (distant sedge) displayed its dense tufts.
After lunch we moved on to the botanical haven ofKillard Point which is situated near the narrows of Strangford Lough. An early find was Scilla verna (spring squill), always a delight. The dune system held good populations of Dactylorhiza incarnata (early marsh orchid) and D. fuchsii (common spotted orchid) with occasional D. maculata (heath spotted orchid). Orchis mascula (early purple orchid) and 0. morio(green-winged orchid). By the shore Blysmus rufus (saltmarsh flat sedge) and Carex extensa (long-bracted sedge) were typical of the locality. Graeme Day, recorder for County Down, was keen to find populations of Ophioglossum vulgatum (adder's tongue) and was duly obliged when an extensive colony was found in the upper dune system. Our return to Belfast led us through the beautiful Downpatrick countryside. Here were small fields with the type of hedgerows that used to be common all over England - satisfying to the eye and a trip down memory lane.
Sunday saw us on the bus early, en route for Portrush. Thea Alien commandeered the intercom and gave us a pithy and informative commentary on buildings, landmarks, people and places for the rest of the visit. We were all looking forward to the Ballynahone Bog, a lowland raised bog that is recognised as being of European importance. It is also special because it still has a large (100 hectares) distinct dome where the deep peat deposits are permanently wet and the vegetation supports well- developed hummocks, hollows and pool systems. Growth is characterised by a carpet of Sphagnum bog moss, many Cladonia lichens (Thea found nine species) of which the red-cupped Cladonia floerkeana was conspicuous, dwarf shrubs and associated species. Ling and cross-leaved heath dominated the shrub vegetation with Eriophorum angustifolium and E. vaginatum (common and hare's-tail cottongrass) in plenty. Trichophorum cespitosum (deergrass) was in flower while Narthecium ossifragum (bog asphodel) was everywhere putting up new shoots, however Andromeda polifolia (bog rosemary) stayed shy. A fascinating spot to visit!
Later, the clans gathered at Umbra Nature Reserve on the County Londonderry coast where a feature of the tree population is Ulmus glabra (wych elm) uncontaminated by disease, a rare sight across the water. A good colony of Equisetum hyemale (rough horsetail) was shown by Wesley (Joan's husband) who then went on to unveil the very rare Erica terminalis (Corsican heath) in its principal British locality. A trio of roses bloomed for our pleasure. Rosa rugosa (Japanese rose) and Rosa pimpinelifolia (bumet rose) are often frequent near the sea. Rosa sherardii (Sherard's downy rose) was less familiar to those from the south. It hybridises with the Bumet Rose as Rosa x involuta and we were fortunate in finding a broad expanse of this hybrid where the two parents met. Salix repens (creeping willow) flourished in the dune slacks among the orchids and Rubus saxatilis (stone bramble) was just starting to put up leaves. Resemblances and contrast between this site and Killard were evident to all and comments on contrasts, the order of the day as we made our way towards Portrush. Along the road we stopped for Erinus alpinus (fairy foxglove) which was established on rocks by the roadside for some considerable distance. Portrush was full of holiday visitors during our stay. A bustling town it holds much of geological interest that Wesley was keen to show us. Belemnites, ammonites and selenium sills made for an interesting hour as did more spring squills on the headland. Walls hereabouts were full of the usual ferns and stonecrops, nevertheless a more unusual, but well-represented plant was Hieracium grandidens (hawkweed). One which Paul Hackney had warned us to look out for.
Monday dawned fine and we were off for the Giant's Causeway. The cliffs above the coastline have valuable areas of relic heath and much work is going on to return more of the land to this status. Dactylorhiza maculata (heath spotted orchid) were everywhere and there were large numbers of Antennaria dioica (mountain everlasting) growing among them. In flower also, Cirsium dissectum (meadow thistle) was good to see. Along the cliffs, past much Ulex gallii (western gorse), it was not long before we climbed steeply down to the shore through a veritable hanging garden. Saxifraga hypnoides (mossy saxifrage) is always a noteworthy scene when fully in bloom as it was today. Anthyllis vulneraria ssp lapponica, the local version of kidney vetch, is prolific here. Its large flowers have distinctly patent calyx hairs. At the foot of the cliff we examined the columnar joints of "The Organ" at which place, well down below the path, Mertensia maritima (oysterplant) was in full blossom. The Causeway itself was full of sightseers so we passed on fairly quickly to where Orobanche alba(thyme broomrape) parasitic on Thymus polytrichus (wild thyme), lined several hundred metres of roadway. Two of the party elected to walk ten miles along the cliffs to our next destination at Whitepark Bay but most went with the bus. The bay is a site of species rich, coastal and calcareous grassland, iris-filled dune slacks and pockets of bramble or blackthorn scrub. An early find was a quantity of Coeloglossum viride (frog orchid) on steep ledges in the dunes. The dominant flower hereabouts was Primula vulgaris (primrose) much interspersed with Alchemilla filicaulis ssp vestita (ladies mantle). Nationally rare in Ireland, but growing here is the blue flower of dunluce, known to us as Geranium pratense (meadow cranesbill) but unfortunately not yet flowering. On the higher ground many orchid species were at their best and in a deep cut gulley we found Geum rivale (water avens) and Chrysosplenium oppositifolium (opposite-leaved golden saxifrage). Cattle graze the whole area with occasional help from sheep late in the year, after plants have set seed. Environmentally sensitive grazing helps to conserve the wide range of habitats on show to the benefit of plants, birds and invertebrates alike.
Tuesday and our last day. Joan, who had led the meeting with charm and panache, informed us that we had experienced too many fine days so she had specially laid on some Northern Ireland soft weather for us. Sure enough it was raining! She had also laid on a visit to the Bushmills Distillery so it really did not matter at all. The green glens of Antrim were our way back to Belfast with a stop in beautiful Glenariff. This is high forest country with a good mix of evergreen and deciduous trees. Ferns, sedges, rushes and horsetails abounded, the most notable being Carex magellenica (tall bog sedge). Rain had set the waterfalls foaming and the rivers into spate. On a bank Potentilla anglica (trailing tormentil) flourished. Alongside Alchemilla glabra (lady's mantle) we found one of the leafy hawkweeds Hieracium strictiforme and just beyond this Anemone nemorosa (wood anemone) completed the perfect picture. All too soon it was over and there were aircraft to catch.
The meeting had been a great success. Our introduction to Ulster and its flora was a most enjoyable and informative one. Joan's enthusiasm and the support given by BNFC made for a memorable visit and a wish to expand our activity in this beautiful country.
CAROL HAWKINS