KILDARE WILDLIFE WATCH: Did you ever hear of Frochan Sunday
Nuala Madigan from the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore
Bilberries are the European version of blueberries and did you know you can find them growing on peatlands nationwide? They grow well on both bogland and heath as bilberries prefer slightly acidic soil, which makes them a difficult berry to grow in gardens.
You may actually know this berry as a ‘Frochan’ and they are native to Ireland. Last week I came across the first ripe bilberries of 2023. They are edible however they can also be be a little bitter to eat direct from the plant, however adding a little sugar they make delicious jams, pies and sauces.
Bilberries are also packed full of Vitamin C. The berries grow in pairs or singly on the plant and can squash easily so care is required when picking this berry. The bilberry plant is bushy in nature and can reach a height of 60cm. The deciduous pale green leaves are oval, smooth and finely toothed.
The flowers of bilberry emerge in April, are pink in colour and spherical in nature. The berries ripen from July- early autumn and are black-blue in colour. The Irish bilberry is much smaller than the North American blueberry that you can purchase in many local shops.
While bilberries are collected in many countries as a source of food, in Ireland the most traditional dates to collect bilberries is the last Sunday in July known as ‘Frochan Sunday’ and on August 1 the ‘Festival of Lughnasa’.
The harvesting of bilberries was the first harvest of the year and people would traditionally view the harvest as an indication of how the rest of the harvest would go in the coming months.
There will be many more berries that were traditionally picked in Ireland ripening over the coming months including cranberries that are also found growing on acidic soils. One of the most popular to collect today is of course blackberries. Watch out for bilberries this week growing on your local bog.
Don’t forget if you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying I would be happy to help, contact me at [email protected].