Along the shingle beaches of some of Wicklow's coastline, this wildflower is a splendid sight from June to September. The solitary flowers (6-8cm across) have 4 orange-yellow petals with numerous stamens, The plant is very well suited to withstand the sea-winds as it has stout stems and thick, fleshy, lobed leaves, the upper leaves clasping the stem. It's a slightly hairy perennial, reaches to 90cm high, and all of the plant is poisonous. The seeds are borne in a long, curved capsule – sometimes up to 30cm long - which splits lengthwise to allow the seeds to escape. These seed-pods give the Poppy it's 'horn'. This is a native plant and it belongs to the family Papaveraceae.
The first time I saw this plant was in 1978, on the beach between the sea and the railway track at Newcastle, Co Wicklow. I photographed it there 30 years later.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
