Early Purple Orchids

These pretty orchids appear in spring, from late April onwards, and (unsurprisingly) are the earliest of the orchids. They are quite common and vary a good deal in size and shape. These were photographed on May 3rd, 2004 on a hillside a few hundred metres North of the Perfumery. The large boulder in the background was likely deposited by a retreating glacier from the last ice age. There are many of these isolated boulders in the Burren, particularly around Black Head. I thnk they're known as glacial erratics.

Ralph Doyle