The Wildflowers of Bull Island:The Grassland Dunes

Bull Island, Dublin is a place of both national and international importance because of the diversity of its flora and fauna. In 1981, it was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the first in Ireland.

The Parks and Landscape Services Division of Dublin City Council manages North Bull Island and its Interpretative Centre on a daily basis. 

In 1999, Dorothy Forde, a regular walker on Bull island made available her research on the wildflowers of the island to Dublin City Council who, in turn, published her book: The Wild Flowers of North Bull Island. She has kindly given permission for her research on the flowers of the grassland dunes (one of five sections of her book) to be replicated in this website.

The flora of Bull Island represent approximately half of the number of species recorded from all of County Dublin and approximately 30% of the flora of Ireland. 

The island is the only Irish example of an undisturbed sequence of habitats, including: beach, fore dunes, mature dune ridges and slacks, grassland, saltmarsh and mudflats. This is partly attributable to preservation, but mainly due to the island's youth as Bull Island began to form as a mere sandspit as recently as 1800. It is now over 5 km in length.

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Case Studies

Aeriel view of Bull island

Aeriel view of Bull island, including Clontarf and Howth Head

By kind permission of Dublin City Council.

Aeriel view of Bull island - By kind permission of Dublin City Council.

Grassland Dunes of Bull Island

Further inland from the sandy dune ridges of Bull Island, Dublin are the older stabilized grassland dunes and slacks covered by the greatest variety of grasses and wildflowers found on the island. In summer, yellow is the dominant flower colour provided in succeeding waves by bird’s-foot trefoil, yellow rattle, kidney vetch and lady’s bedstraw. In addition to the marshy slack areas previously described (see Freshwater Marshes), other different types of habitat are lichen and moss-covered dune tops, sandy dune hollows, moist short grass areas and the taller dry grasses of the more open spaces. No type of habitat is without its own complement of wildflowers. Of special interest are the many different types of orchids found throughout the grasslands. The golden rule “Never pick a wildflower” is especially applicable in the case of orchids. Most orchid seeds require interaction with a soil fungus for germination and it can then take from 4-14 years for the seed to produce a flowering stem.

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Grassland Dunes of Bull Island - By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Map of Bull Island

Map of Bull Island

By kind permission of Dublin City Council.

Map of Bull Island - By kind permission of Dublin City Council.

View of Interperative Centre on Bull Island

View of Interperative Centre on Bull Island

By kind permission of Martin McCree, Dublin City Council

View of Interperative Centre on Bull Island - By kind permission of Martin McCree, Dublin City Council

Aeriel view of Bull island

Aeriel view of Bull island with coverage of the interperative centre and the start of the wildflower flower trails and the start of walks onto Dollymount Strand

By kind permission of Dublin City Council.

Aeriel view of Bull island - By kind permission of Dublin City Council.

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