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Noteworthy Species
 The
Killarney Fern (Trichomanes speciosum) is probably
the rarest plant species in the Park. It was quite common
during the last century but sadly was picked almost to extinction
by people who collected it to sell to tourists. It is one
of the filmy ferns and flourishes in the splash zone of waterfalls
and other such damp places. The few sites that remain tend
to be in isolated mountain locations where the pickers of
the last century never found it. |
 The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)
is relatively common on clifftops
and woodland edges around the lakes of Killarney, however
it is one of Ireland's rarest native tree species and is found
in only a handful of locations outside Killarney. It can be
found abroad in parts of the Mediterranean and on the atlantic
coast of Iberia, where it grows as a shrub rather than a tree
and is sometimes grown in plantations. The fruit is edible
(although sour tasting) and, as it takes approximately 12
months to develop, often appears on the tree at the same time
as flowers. |
 Saint Patrick's Cabbage
(Saxifraga spathularis) like several other plant
and animal species found in Killarney, has a hiberno-lusitanean
distribution, ie. apart from southwest Ireland it is only
found in northern Spain and Portugal. One of the prime reasons
for this is the effect of the gulf stream on the climate of
southwest Ireland, which is mild in winter, cool in summer,
very humid, and with high rainfall. A cultivated form known
as 'London Pride' may be familiar to gardeners. |
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The Greater Butterwort (Pinguicula
grandiflora), also known as the 'Kerry Violet', is
a carnivorous bog dweller. Insects are attracted to the
bright green rosette of leaves where they are trapped
by mucus and digested by enzymes in order to suppliment
the poor supply of nutrients (particularly nitrogen) available
from the bog. The spectacular purple flower can be seen
in late May and early June every year.
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 Irish
Spurge (Euphorbia hyberna)
is an atlantic species, confined in Ireland to the southwest.
The milky sap from the stem was utilised in the past to cure
warts, and also to capture fish (compounds in the sap prevent
the gills from functioning properly, causing the fish to suffocate). |
 The Kerry Spotted
Slug (Geomalacus maculosus), in common with some
of the plant species in the Park, has a hiberno-lusitanean
distribution. In the wet weather that is so common in Killarney
it emerges to graze the lichens on rocks and tree trunks.
It is reputedly the only slug capable of rolling itself into
a ball, and has the added distinction of appearing on both
AnnexII and AnnexIV of the EU Habitats Directive (lists of
species in need of protection). |
 Bryophytes
(Mosses and Liverworts) flourish in Killarney, due in part
to the high humidity found here, and the international importance
of this area has long been recognised. Many of Killarney's
bryophytes are found nowhere else in the country. The Lichen
flora of Killarney is also highly diverse and well documented. |
The Killarney Shad
or Goureen (Alosa fallax killarnensis) is a landlocked
sub-species of the Twaite Shad (a mainly marine species) which
is unique to the Lakes of Killarney. It feeds mainly on plankton
and is therefore seldom seen, as it is rarely caught on rod
and line. It is considered endangered, and thus appears in
the Irish 'Red Data Book' of threatened species.
Killarney Whitebeam
(Sorbus anglica) is a shrub or small tree known only
from Killarney, where it is usually found growing on rocks
close to lakeshores. It is, however, closely related to the
more common Irish Whitebeam (Sorbus hibernica) which
is also found in Killarney.
Killarney also plays host to a small flock
of Greenland Whitefronted Geese (Anser albifrons
flavirostris) which overwinter on some of the bogs in
the area, before flying North once again for the summer months.
These are virtually the last remaining flock in Kerry, and
the only Irish bog-feeding flock whose habitat almost all
falls within a protected area.
A number of Killarney's insect species,
including the Northern Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora
arctica) and several Caddisfly and Stonefly species, are
generally only found much further north in Europe, and are
believed to be relict species, left behind in Killarney after
the last ice retreat approximately 12,000 years ago. |
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