This is my last post from abroad 🙂 I am going back home soon, so I am spending every minute with my family and apologize for delayed replies to your wonderful comments. Thank you so much for bearing with me.
Fenor bog lays right behind the church in Fenor village, Co Waterford, overlooked by Ballyscanlon Hill. They say that 225 species of plants, birds, insects and animals have been recorded there. 500m long boardwalk allows visitors to enjoy serenity and beauty of this unique piece of natural heritage.
When I go to Fenor, I circle the bog at least five times, full of expectations for some unusual bird or reptile seeings, but nothing ever happens. I guess the best time is a very late afternoon, just before the sunset. Last time I saw a lizard who showed itself for a split second and then disappeared under the boardwalk. Still, something to remember.
What does this sign mean, I don’t know. I have been looking up Druid signs, but couldn’t find anything similar. Looks like an eye to me, which makes sense: enter the site, look around, don’t miss the marvels and secrets of Nature.
Little Robin is looking for something to eat. These birds don’t mind being photographed. In the bog, I have also seen wrens, blackbirds, field sparrows, chaffinches, starlings, and some birds I couldn’t identify.
A pink touch of Ragged Robin.
Red Campion, a close relative of Ragged Robin.
Cuckooflower is sacred to the Fairies.
Menyanthes, or Bogbean, is one of the prettiest wildflowers.
Marsh Cinquefoil’s red petals are not petals at all. They are sepals. The petals are dark and tiny. A cloud of tiny bumblebees are working the flowers. I change my settings to manual and patiently wait for the opportunities.
Sorry for posting three similar pictures – I like them all, and cannot decide which one I should post :). Bumblebees look so cute with the pollen baskets on their knees.
I make a full circle and start walking the bog again.
This time I am lucky with Damselflies. I don’t recall ever seeing this one, with a red belly. It is a Large Red Damselfly.
Banded Demoiselle, male. Males and females differ in color and look like different species to those who don’t know.
Speckled Wood butterfly. Their caterpillars are bright green.
This flower confused me. It is some kind of Blackberry, and it is supposed to have five petals. How is it that it has eight?
At noon, the church bells start ringing. It seems that the bells are recorded and played over loudspeakers. After I finish my walk, I go to visit the former Sacred tree which is now transformed into The Angel of Fenor by a local artist John Hayes. The monument is towering in the church graveyard, attracting tourists.
I like this detail of the monument – the hands and the bird.
You can look up a controversial priest Fr. Michael Kennedy who used to minister in the Dunhill/Fenor parish, and had taken an administrative leave from his post in 2006 after the allegations of misconduct ( I don’t know where he is now, but they say he was a well-liked man). He is a third cousin of JFK, and retains close connections with the Kennedy clan. So, my next post is about JFK.
Thank you for visiting Fenor with me.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 
Macros are gorgeous Inese!
Thank you so much, Maria!
You have some talent. You manage to capture the insects and birds in perfect harmony with nature. The bird looks like he’s thinking about his life. The bumblebees look like theyre practicing yoga. The dragonfly looks like he’s getting into a sprinter’s pose.
Thank you! 🙂 Robins do look like they are thinking about their life. Saturday week I will post a special Robin blog – welcome to visit 🙂
Youre welcome. Ill definitely be back.
Birds are interesting animals. In my backyard, the crows are so comfortable, that they walk around in groups.
Thanks for taking me on a wonderful nature world that I am so in love with! Love the dragonfly shot. Beautiful captures as always! 🙂
Thank you so much! We had a great summer, and I hope to share some autumn walks too 🙂
Oh, this is sweet of you, but only if you wish this. I could also link to your post the following day. Blessings sent your way, dear Inese. xo
The flowers, insects and foliage were beautifully captured, Inese. I felt like I had wandered into a fairy land, as well as loving the adorable little robin. Birds are special to me, beyond my namesake. ❤
I have another blog post scheduled in October with some more Robin pictures. As they are so special to you, I will link the post to your blog 🙂
Aww – I love your photographs of the cute little bumble bees 😀 They belong to my favourite insects 🙂 I also love to watch them harvesting the nectar and depositing it in their little knee-baskets 😉 And the flowers are so lovely, I´ve never seen the bogbean before and I think it is such a very pretty wildflower, as is the other one with the bumble bees! And the damselflies! So majestic! And I really would have thought it were different ones if you hadn´t mentioned it being only female and male 😉 Very irritating 😉 Wish you a very lovely weekend and welcome back! 🙂 xxxxxxxx ❤
Thank you for stopping by, Sarah! You might find the bogbean where you live – it is widespread around Europe. Very beautiful plant, it looks like handmade 🙂
Thank you again for your comment! xxxx
I will look out for it then!! 🙂 Thanks to your great picture I´ll have no problem identifying it 😀 It really is so beautiful!
Have a very lovely weekend, Inese! 🙂 xxxxxx ❤
Beautiful photos, Inese. Happy Autumn.
Thank you so much! Taken in the beginning of July. I wrote a bunch of blog posts to cover my long absence.
My goodness! Those Kennedys are certainly full of misconduct!
Absolutely breathtaking photos. I hope your cough is better. 🙂
Thank you so much! I was trying to learn more of the misconduct, but I guess that it was something clerical, because the ordinary people from his parish actually liked him 🙂
I hope you’re home safe and sound, Lady Inese. Your wonderful photographs show your deep love for animals and the outdoors. I believe nature tries to show you her best side, for each photo is magnificent!
Oh my dear Dead D! It was some trip I am still recovering from! So sorry for the late reply. Please bear with me, I will be back on track soon xx
Take your time. Your wellbeing and health are more pressing than blogging — although I do miss you! xo
~PR
❤
I love your blog so much. Yet again you have taken me to a wonderful part of the world. I love your pics of the bees and damselflies. It’s very tricky taking photos of such small creatures especially when they have a tendency to fly off just as you are about to take the pic. I want to know why that blackberry flower has 8 petals rather than 5.. I was looking for ages but I couldn’t find anything! 🙂 Have you found the answer yet? LOL Have a great weekend x
Thank you so much! It is unusual for Rosacea to have 8 petals, but there are some plants that do have them. This wasn’t a common blackberry, I guess. I looked up in Wikipedia – Rubus genus is very large, with some 200 species. It is impossible to open all the links and check out. I will have to live in ignorance 🙂 Still, a nice find 🙂 Have a lovely weekend you too!!! xx
The demoiselles are really elegant insects ! I love their colours.
Thank you so much! They are very fast too – good that they don’t get dizzy from all the stunts they perform in the air 🙂
The walk with you along Fenor was well worth it ~ you capture the small and intricate beauty of nature like few can. The dragonfly photos captures this spirit so well. Wishing you many more safe and insightfully beautiful travels.
Thank you so much! I imagine there are many people who live in big cities and seldom, or even never, get out in the wild. The best they can experience is some tiny wild flower in the park, a disorientated bee, or a duck in the pond. Very little things, but they can make somebody’s day 🙂
My travels are over. I almost missed my transatlantic flight connection because of the Owens River fire that started a day before. Small airplanes had to change their route to San Francisco airport, and there were many delays.
It is amazing how a small piece of nature can change the mood of a day. It is nice to make due with what’s available…small or big, reminds me of my feelings for Central Park in NYC, love how it transforms the city. Happy you enjoyed your stay…and very happy to hear you caught your flight (that would not have been fun). Cheers!
Yes, I was thinking about the Central Park when I wrote the comment – such a precious place for the City. Who knows, may be in a couple of thousand years we will get a megalopolis with tiny green islands here and there… called Yellowstone Park, Shenandoah Park…
The wildlife of Fenor Bog looks amazing and I’m not surprised you love it there. The number of species of plants, birds and insects makes it clear why such sites should be protected. I really can’t say which of your photos I like best because they’re all just beautiful. The Menyanthes is a gorgeous flower and you captured those colourful Damselflies perfectly.
Hope you’ve had a wonderful time with your family. I’m sure you’ll come home loaded with amazing photos for future posts.
Thank you so much, Millie! My visit was very different this time, but thankfully my daughter is well now, and it is the most important. She gave us a scare all right, but still we found two days for short trips, and yes, I have pictures to put up a blog 🙂
I can imagine how relieved you are that all is well with your daughter now. There’s nothing worse than having our children so ill, even if they’re all grown up. I’m looking forward to seeing your pics. 🙂
We’re off to Iceland next Monday, just for five days, so I won’t be on my blog much during that time. It’somewhere I’ve wanted to see for many years, and September’s supposed to be pretty good for the Northern Lights. We go in hope…
Remember to get an early night tonight! 🙂
September in Iceland is a fairy tale. I am so happy for you! For the Northern Lights photograph, put your camera on a stable surface and set Aperture less than 5.6 – as wide as your lens permits; ISO – 1000 or higher if it is very dark, and the shutter speed some 15-20 seconds -to regulate the light and dark. It has to work. Even if you get one good picture, it is enough 🙂 Most important is to be there and enjoy the beauty. Cannot wait to read about your adventures! xx
Thank you so much for the tip about camera settings, Inese, but our cameras just aren’t that sophisticated – and I don’t think Louise would let us loose with hers! We’ll just do what we can with what we’ve got, and I’ll certainly be doing some posts about places we visit. I really want to see the Northern Lights. 🙂
I just cannot wait for your pictures and tales 🙂
😀 😀 😀
What beautiful photos of a stunning place. Everything looks wonderful, even the insects! TY, Inese!
Thank you so much, Resa! xx
That Angel of Fenor woodcarving is so beautiful and powerful. It has a warmer, more fiery look to it than a stone carving, making it much more in keeping with an angel.
I love the bees. Any amount of pictures of these wonderful insects is a joy to behold. Our lavender was full of them this year, as usual. We also rescued a few poor dehydrated bees and gave them some sugar water to revive them. I am always so sad, if I discover a bee when it’s past saving.
Thank you so much, Sarah! I tried to revive a butterfly once, but the poor thing wouldn’t drink that sugar water. There must be some trick since they feed the butterflies in the butterfly farms with some artificial food.