A white outline of a sea sponge in a grey rock

Fossilised Sponge

Geology, Rocks

Found this little guy last weekend as I walked on Loftus Bay. He is a fossilised Sponge approximately 340 million years old (Lower Carboniferous). Sponges are marine based animals and would have generally lived their lives attached to the seafloor. Feeding by filtering food particles out of the water through their bodies. When this guy…

A picture showing the strata in the rocks at Booley Bay

Geology of Booley Bay

Geology, Rocks

Booley Bay is home to some of the most amazing geology on the hook peninsula. Pictured below are Late Cambrian (approx. 500 million years ago) turbidites consisting of sandstones and shales. These rocks would have been deposited in a marine environment at a time when Ireland would have been located close to the south pole…

A moth with red spotted wings with yellow daisy like flowers inthe background

Six-spot Burnet Moth

Insects, Wildlife

Six-spot Burnet’s have been seen in the area and are very common throughout Europe. These day flying moths are strikingly coloured metallic black with crimson spots, just to remind you that they contain cyanide!! They can be found especially on hot, sunny days from June to August. This individual is feeding off nectar from Ragwort…