Bloom time for spurge, the plant once used to catch fish

Spurge is typically found in Cork and Kerry and in Northern Spain and Portugal — apparently this plant's poisonous sap was once a way of catching fish...

Irish Spurge (Euphorbia hyberna) is one of the so-called Lusitanian species, found almost exclusively in Cork/Kerry and northern Spain/Portugal.

Among the nectar-rich, summer blossoms one tree stands out in May sunshine… whitethorn. I’ve lost count of the number of people remarking about its profusion and the way it dominates the countryside this year, seemingly more than ever.

In places like the Beara and Dingle peninsulas, it overshadows many other plants. But, fuchsia, always associated with these magnificently scenic areas, should now be about to reassert itself.