People often think there is little of interest in the plant world, but here in SW Donegal things are different. We are told that ‘All is Fair in Love and War’, but sometimes things are taken a bit too far, revealing the extremes of both Deceit and Gullibility. As the idyllic façade, of the Plant World, begins to crumble other devious goings on are revealed – Poisoning, Theft, Murder and Digestion of the Victims. The amateur naturalists, of the Bluestack Ramblers, don their Sherlock Holmes hats and investigate.

Deceit and Gullibility – All is Fair in Love and War

            There is a wily little plant that grows in Sheskinmore Nature Reserve (where we have a walk each spring) called the Bee Orchid (Ophris apifera)– the reason it gets this name will soon become obvious. To a certain male Bee, the flowers of this little plant look like and smell like a female Bee. Not being too bright and being totally convinced of her undying love the male Bee starts to do what the ‘Birds and the Bees’ are famous for. In the process he gets covered in pollen from the flower. It is obvious that this relationship is doomed from the start and so he tires of ‘her’ and flies off, only to get suckered by the next flower that looks and smells like his hearts desire. In the throws of passion of this new relationship, the pollen from the first flower is passed to the second and so the Cross-fertilisation of the flowers takes place. The flowers get what they want and the bee is just left with the feeling that he always chooses the wrong woman.

Bee orchid

Poisoning

                For plants growing on poor soil, resources are scarce, growth is slow - life is hard! One of the worst things that could happen to a plant, that has been struggling all year to grow a little, is to be partially eaten. Some resourceful plants have fought back and to avoid being eaten they have produced chemicals that make them Poisonous. One beautiful bog land plant that has adopted this survival strategy is the Bog Asphodel. There is a substance in Bog Asphodel that blocks the uptake of vitamin D, which is vital for healthy bones. In the old days it would result in Rickets or Osteoporosis in cattle, hence its other common name ‘Bone Breaker’. Its Latin name Narthecium ossifragum, meaning fragile bones. Lesser Spearwort has killed cattle and sheep that have eaten it because it has the poisonous sap common to all Buttercups; the name Latin name Ranunculus flammula refers to the plants burning taste (flammula means ‘little flame). Another poisonous and very distasteful plant of grasslands and dunes is the Bird’s Foot Trefoil, which contains cyanide derivatives. Grazing animals will avoid poisonous plants like those mentioned above unless overstocking increases grazing pressure.

Cattle and sheep seem to have more brains than we give them credit for, as they manage to successfully avoid the Minefield of Toxic plants that they face on a daily basis. Farmers can be thankful that SW Donegal is not populated by rickety heifers; or sheep turned belly up – four legs in the air (having nibbled a Lesser Spearwort); or cows, that have the look of a creature, that has just eaten some foul tasting herb. But then again maybe that is why cows have a long face!

Theft

            Much of the land in SW Donegal, such as Blanket Bog and Sand dunes, are low fertility / low productivity lands. The only fertilisation that they receive, is from rainwater, lightning and sea spray. As you can imagine this is very little. One group of plants have got around this problem by stealing minerals from the roots of surrounding grasses. The roots of these semi-parasitic plants are designed to burrow into the roots of the surrounding grasses and suck out the Nitrates, Phosphates and Potash, that farmers know, are essential for good plant growth. These ‘Pick-Pockets’ of the plant world are Yellow Rattle, Red Rattle, Lousewort and Red Bartsia.

Murder and Digestion of the Victims

Another strategy for obtaining the minerals necessary for healthy plant growth is to capture, kill and extract the minerals from the bog land insects. To these Insectivorous Plants, the midges, small flies and other bog land insects are just like little McDonnell ‘Happy Meals’ on legs. Donegal has three such insectivorous plants – The Sundew, the Lesser Butterwort and Bladderwort. The red tinged leaves of the Sundew and the lime green leaves of the Lesser Butterwort are easily spotted in the damp areas of bog lands. The Bladderwort, on the other hand, lives submerged in bog land pools and is harder to spot - the only evidence of its presence is in mid Summer when its little yellow flower pushes its head above water level.

By Michael Cunningham