(Pinguicula vulgaris). This is a plant found in wetter ground where soil nutrients are in poor supply, therfore Butterwort has found an unusual way to obtain the nutrients it needs - it is carnivorous!. The leaves of this plant feature numerous glands that secrete a sticky fluid which attracts insects. When the insects become trapped the leaf slowly curls inwards and eventually the insect will become digested.

It is also known as Bog Violet or mo`than and is one of the most important plants in Hebridean folklore. If a woman went down on one knee and plucked nine roots of this plant, knotted them together into a ring and placed them in a girls mouth whilst reciting a blessing, the next man the lass kissed would be forever obedient to her. Placed under the right knee in childbirth it would ensure a safe delivery.

Cows that ate the mo`than were said to be safe from elves and fairies and their evil influence on milk production. To drink the milk of an animal that had eaten butterwort was likewise thought to bestow immunity from harm, particulalry from supernatural beings.

Plants