The Lyons Share

Sea kayaking at Coral Bay in Connemara was awesome. Arctic Terns were flying overhead and we even had a go at a bit of snorkeling. I am thinking I might have to get into diving. On the way back from Connemara to Castlebar, we stopped by some rather impressive bogs and found these amazing Water Lobelias which were a new one for me. We did get seriously attacked by midges and ticks though which wasn't much fun. Even the plants in Ireland are carnivorous but fortunately they eat the midges and not tourists. In the week we recordered all three sundews, all three butterworts and Lesser Bladderwort too.

Earlier that day we had a look around Connemra National Park, where the showy St Dabeoc's Heath could be found.
This little hoverfly was a new one for me, being the north-western species of Chrysotoxum, Chrysotoxum arcuatum.

I got my eye in too for these really cool black and green cushion-forming acrocarps that I was seeing in the bogs, it's Campylopus atrovirens.
Connemara really is a beautiful place (despite the midges). Next up, I go further west than I have ever been before...