False Oxlip

My thanks to Darrell Watts for writing to tell me that this was not a Male Fern as I originally thought, but a Soft Shield Fern. These ferns are quite common around in the woods around the Perfumery but this one I photographed in a magical little woodland that I came across one day hidden in a fold of the hills to the east of here. That's one of the nice things about the Burren - you can live here for years and still be surprised by hidden beauty on your doorstep.

Ralph Doyle