A small, carnivorous, perennial plant of damp heaths, Pale Butterwort is usually found embedded in mossy turf where rivulets trickle across peaty soil. It is the smallest Butterwort to be found in Ireland as it barely reaches 10 cm tall, its stem emerging from a rosette of pale olive-green leaves. These thick, purple-veined leaves have margins which are rolled in and as they are sticky, they trap small insects and digest them to supplement their meagre nutrition. Each pale pink-lilac 2-lipped flower (5-8 mm across) has a yellow throat, a darker pink spur and is held on a slender stem. The flowers bloom from June to September. This plant is not commonly found as its habitat is diminishing. It is a native plant and it belongs to the Lentibulariaceae family.
I first recorded and photographed this plant near Glenasmole, Co Dublin in 2011.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
