Damien Enright: An hour spent on the dunes is well rewarded

The axiom that nothing in nature is wasted is reinforced on an outing to the coast

Two six-spot burnet moths sipping the nectar of a purple orchid in a west Cork salt-marsh in July. The moth caterpillars derive cyanide from their birdsfoot trefoil footplant and the moths' colours warn off predators. Picture: Damien Enright

On the last Sunday in July, walking the salt marsh behind the dunes at a beach in West Cork, I came across the arresting sight of two cyanide-laced moths sipping nectar from a gorgeous orchid. The orchid was an Early Purple orchid flowering late in season and the moths were Six-Spot Burnets.

I have no doubt about the identity of the moths, but the orchid is more difficult as the photos don't reveal the number of lobes of the flowerets. Anyway, there were many of these orchids, on tall stems, standing upright, heads pointing skyward. And attached to one were these toxic moths.