Common Butterwort– Pinguicula vulgaris
Spotted this little flower in the Cooleys today coming around the Foxes Rock on our way back to the car park at the Long Woman’s Grave. Appearances can be deceiving…apparently this delicate looking little plant is carnivorous!!
The light green leaves are in a basal rosette, consisting of several sticky, oblong, almost pointed leaves with their margins rolled inwards. When an insect lands on a leaf it sticks fast, the leaf margins roll in further and the leaf exudes an enzyme that aids digestion of the insect. In this way the plant supplements its diet.
It blooms from May to August and grows on nitrogen deficient bogs, wet rocks and mountain heaths. It is a native plant belonging to the Lentibulariaceae family
