A quick trip round the Burren

A few more.

Last few.

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your quick trip.  I wasn't entirely sure where the "Burren" was or whether the term burren was common to several areas in the world, but googling it I found the following.  Since it was a "quick trip", I presumed it was in Ireland someplace, where you are located.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burren

It looks to be a rather dramatically stark environment (even moreso, in the wikipedia images in the link above), yet with lovely floral vignettes of wildflowers.  Is that Campanula rotundifolia mixed in with a small cheerful yellow composite?  And the thistle, is that a Carlina?  What I'm most curious about, what is the little yellow flowered plant with silvery perfoliate leaves... it's cute whatever it is.

Joe and I were in the Burren some years ago.  Much too early for good bloom.  We saw many primulas and mossy saxes blooming in people's roadside gardens but not much in the Burren.  I recall one Gentiana verna and a small orchid I couldn't bloom.  I was told we were about a month early.  I recall it snowed when we were in Conemara.

Mark, I recognize the yellow plant. It is Blackstonia perfoliata. And the blue is Campanula rotundifolia of course. The thistle is possibly Carlina acaulis. The red one above the Geranium is a Centaurium.

I can see why our limestone barrens in Newfoundland are often compared to the Burrens...very similar habitat although our plants have a distinct arctic-alpine affinity.

Very nice area-- love this sort of open place with low plants!