Taken on Saturday at Glenmacnass valley near the waterfall on Co. Wicklow with the mist falling & rising upon us.The raindrops can be seen clinging to the wire fence & the Gorse ~ Ulex europaeus or in Irish Aiteann gallda Whether you know it as Gorse, Furze or Whin, this must be our most remarkable native shrub. Throughout the year, the rich yellow peaflowers seem to light up the Irish landscape. The 15-20mm long flowers, with their wonderful aroma of coconut, are borne on stems of spiny bluish-green spikes. The leaves have been modified over centuries into rigid and furrowed thorns which withstand the harsh conditions of winters at higher altitudes, making the entire bush one mass of prickles and spines. These shrubs form very many hedgerows around our fields, they line our country roads and particularly from February to May, when their flowers are in abundance, they are a sight to behold. This plant belongs to the family Fabaceae. Susan