2024 County Report for Offaly

Fiona Devery

BSBI Report for Offaly (H18) 2024

Fiona Devery

In all 2,445 records from Offaly were collected and entered into the Distribution Database in 2024.

I help and advise Birr Tidy Towns group with their “no mow” campaign and with general advice on biodiversity.

I liaise with the Biodiversity Officer in Offaly County Council and participate in the Offaly Naturalists Field Club. I lead an aquatic outing to the Grand canal at Gallen, Ferbane in June for the ONFC. Dwarf stonewort, Nitella tenuissima, Lesser clubmoss, Selaginella selaginoides and a fine display of Bee orchids, Ophrys apifera (white form) were among the plants recorded.

I led a plant walk in July to Tony’s Hill, Clara Bog with the guides from Clara Bog Visitor Centre. Also in July I met with Katherine Finney of Birdwatch Ireland to visit their lands on the Shannon callows where we recorded Marsh stitchwort, Stellaria palustris and Tubular water-dropwort, Oenanthe fistilosa. We intend to meet again in 2025.

Water bent grass, Polypogon viridis was first recorded in Offaly on the16/8/24 in Birr.

The Aquatics day in August with Nick Stewart on the canal at Edenderry produced Eleogiton fluitans, Floating club rush and Dwarf stonewort, Nitella tenuissima and Water bent, Polygon viridis (second county record) among other plant records. Unfortunately, the invasive New Zealand pygmyweed, Crassula helmsii was also present in the canal in abundance.