You could be forgiven for being confused by such an exotically named plant presenting itself so devilishly. The true beauty of this intriguing Nigella damascena is yet to emerge. Very soon those green veined leaves will fold back, turn blue, and reveal themselves as the petals of a dramatic and exotic flower. The common name, […]
Read MoreCrystal Jelly
Another beautiful jellyfish, the crystal jelly (Aequorea victoria), is normally almost perfectly clear but when disturbed it illuminates its outer bell in a blue-green glow using tiny light producing organs. The light producing substance harvested from these guys is aequorin, a calcium-activated photoprotein used in medical research. The crystal jelly is also the very same […]
Read MorePlanet Burren
Ireland’s Burren National Park, or simply ‘The Burren’ is unlike anything you would have imaged to be Irish landscape. It is said that Oliver Cromwell, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland circa 1650, when he first saw the Burren, said, “There isn’t a tree to hang a man, water to drown a man, nor soil […]
Read MoreIrish Lobster
Every time time a meet an Irish lobster on a dive I am reminded of our Australian common yabby and childhood memories of catching them in creeks and dams. How different the wild Irish coast is from muddy Australian farm dams and yet how similar these two creatures are in appearance. Given the choice of […]
Read MoreCompass Jellyfish Part II
Despite it’s name, the Compass Jellyfish has minimal control over the direction it travels or the places it finds itself. Relative to still water they are efficient swimmers but no match for the current, tides, storms and seas of the Wild Atlantic Way coast. These three once beautiful oceanic creatures have found a final place […]
Read More