2022 County Report for East Cork

Edwina Cole and Finbarr Wallace

H5 VCR Report for 2022
A total of 9278 unique records were collected and entered into the BSBI Database for East Cork (H5) in 2022.
In July we hosted a BSBI field day in Glenbower Woods, Killeagh. Attendance was good, despite the wet weather. 14 botanists spent most of the day learning about woodland plants and recorded 132 species. The highlight of the day was the re-finding of Killarney Fern (Trichomanes speciosum) gametophyte after over 150 years! Killarney Fern was last recorded from Glenbower Woods by J.A. Fischer in 1844 (Cybele Hibernica II). It is a protected species and is listed under Annex II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive. The gametophyte was found after much searching upslope under overhanging rocks. It was an unexpected surprise and a wonderful end to the day.
Two native species were added to the H5 flora this year; Western Eyebright (Euphrasia tetraquetra) and the nationally rare One-flowered Glasswort (Salicornia disarticulata).
Non-native additions to the H5 flora included Common Millet (Panicum miliaceum), German Ivy (Delairea odorata), and Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). The Giant Sequoia was recorded during the Glenbower Woods event and while new to the H5 flora, its size suggests it has been here for well over 100 years.
Over thirty plants of the nationally rare Golden-samphire (Limbarda crithmoides) were recorded across two new hectads for the species in H5 this year.