Devil's Bit Scabious

Devil's Bit Scabious derives its odd name from the fact that its long tap root looks like there's a bit bitten off - the Devil's work apparently. Many thanks to Charles Nelson's Wild Plants of The Burren and the Aran Islands for this information and for being an all round excellent resource for Burren plants. This scabious often covers whole fields in late summer, and from a distance makes them look like they are covered in a strange purple mist.

Ralph Doyle