2022 County Report for Offaly

Fiona Devery

Report for H18 Offaly 2022
Recording in H18 was decidely aquatic in 2022. Well over a thousand records were gathered. Much of the Camcor River was walked, often in the water due to the high banks and general inaccessibility, yielding among others Zannichellia palustris, P. crispis and P. gramineus.
An early outing to the Grand Canal in Gallen to see Nitella tenuissima, which was found in 2021 but in was very poor condition, proved successful.
This was followed by a trip to the Long Derrries, Edenderry, where Arabis hirstua and Antennaria dioica were among the better finds.
At Finnamores lake in Boora, Dactylorhiza incarnata ssps. incarnata, pulchella and coccinea were recorded
In June Conycarn Quarry yielded a large number of records including Erigeron acris and Equisetum variegatum. Most Charas, which were recorded last year, were burnt off at this stage except those in deeper water.
In early July I led a fieldtrip with the DNFC to the Island Fen in Clareen. Epipactis palustris, A. dioica and Juniper communis plus a good selection of sedges were recorded.
August’s main field trip was to Banagher with Nitella flexilis agg., Chara virgata, Butomus umbellatus, Potamogeton × angustifolius and Hydrocharis morsus-ranae.
The recording year was rounded off with a foray to Victoria Lock where the Little Brosna River and the old canal join the River Shannon. This yielded B. umbellatus, Bidens cernua, Ranunculus sceleratus and a large colony of Rhamnus cathartica along the old canal banks.
I help the local Tidy Towns group with their biodiversity projects and part time tutor the horticultural students in Birr Castle Demesne with their biodiversity.