2024 County Report for West Mayo

Eoin Mc Greal and Sinead Garry

Sinead Garry started as joint vice-county recorder for West Mayo in 2024 in what was a busy year with c.9500 records of 566 taxa submitted in total. Highlights included a colony of c. 200 plants of Pugsley’s Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza traunsteinorides, found on the Mullet Peninsula by Sean Cole and Mike Waller and new vice-county records for Callitriche truncata at Lough Mask (M06) and the increasing neophyte, Jersey Cudweed Gnaphalium luteo-album at an industrial site near Killala (G22) found by Paul Green and Ciaran Bruton respectively. General recording took place throughout the year and began early in the year with a number of new sites for Equisetum variegatum particularly in the Castlebar area. Some highlights throughout the year included 2^nd VC records for Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata (G20) and also for Green-flowered Helleborine Epipactis phyllanthes (G20) close to where it was first recorded in 2023. There were also 3^nd VC records for Goat’s-beard Tragopogon pratensis (L97) and Greater Pond-sedge Carex riparia (F94) and the 1st record in over 50 years for Pond Water-crowfoot Ranunculus peltatus (M07)