Photographs: Barleycove, Co. Cork

Common Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris Bodán meascáin Family: Lentibulariaceae Flowering May-July. Insectivorous perennial. Native. Solitary blue-violet, two-lipped flowers with lobes of lower lip diverging, a pale throat patch and a pointed spur. Flower stems 6-18cm tall and the seed capsules are ovoid. Basal rosette of stalkless leaves covered with sticky glands to trap insects. Overwinters as rootless bud. Hybrids with Large-flowered Butterwort occur occasionally (P. x scullyi). Found in nutrient-poor bogs, open fens, mountain heaths and rock crevices. Most frequent in north, west and central Ireland

Common Butterwort, Pinguicula vulgaris, Bodán meascáin