Large Butterwort

This beautiful wildflower is the carnivorous Large Butterwort ( Pinguicula grandifolia ) or Leith Uisce in Irish, this one is native to Ireland but not so common anymore. It loves damp boggy ground and will be the first to appear on any ground that has been poached as it can't compete with grasses. It feeds on any small insect that is lured onto it's sticky leaves, these curl over trap it's prey. As with other insect eating plants, the butterworts extract mineral salts, especially nitrates and phosphates from it's prey. There are two types of Butterwort on the land here, this one and the much rarer pale butterwort (Pinguicula Lusitanica ).