Kildare Wildlife Watch: Redshank is also known as ‘Lady’s Thumb’

Find out more about our native plants

Summer is the season when most of our flowering plants are in bloom, but there are exceptions.

You will be familiar with many spring flowering plants including primrose, dandelion and lesser celandine, but at this time of year as winter edges closer, there are still a number of wildflowers blooming.

One example of this is redshank (Glúineach dhearg as gaeilge). For those readers who are interested in birds, just to note there is also a bird called a redshank (Cosdeargán as Gaeilge), but today I am focusing on the wildflower!

Redshank is a native wildflower that can be found growing close to water and arable land. The leaves are long, oval and taper to a point which is described as being lanceolate in shape.

Redshank is sometimes referred to as ‘lady’s thumb’ as each leaf also has dark spots which appear to look like a thumb print on the surface.

The pink flowers have no petals, but form a cylindrical crowded spike held on reddish stems that can reach 80cm in height and blooms until October. While most plants rely on pollinators including bumblebees and butterflies, redshank has the ability to self-pollinate.

Once pollination is complete later in autumn, and into winter the black seeds emerge, which are an important food source for wild birds.

It is said that redshank can also be eaten by cattle and horses, but it contains oxalates, which is a natural compound found in vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. However, it can also harmful when eaten in high quantities as oxalates can bind to minerals in the gut and prevent the body from absorbing these important minerals for growth.

Another use of redshank is that extracts from the plant can be used to form a yellowish dye. I can already see the leaves on our trees turning their autumn colours with many also beginning to fall to the ground.

Over the coming weeks watch for the last of the summer wildflowers that are in bloom, maybe you will also come across redshank in your community.

If you would like help identifying a wildlife observation in your community you can contact me on bogs@ipcc.ie