Extinct in Ireland, September 11th. Meadow Saxifrage

I began this exploration of species extinct in Ireland with a fish, the sturgeon.,   

have moved through mammals and insects, but only now am moving to plants. And predictably enough I am starting with a striking flower, rather than a less visually appealing plant. Our own biases of attraction to the memorable and visually arresting reinforces the hidden nature of Irish biodiversity loss. After all, nothing that obvious is disappearing.

From the Irish National Biodiversity Date Centre:

The last Irish records of Meadow saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata) as a native were from Co. Wicklow in 1985 and Co. Dublin in 1986. Despite repeated searches of these sites specifically for the species it has not been refound. It was officially declared extinct in the Red List of Irish Plants in 2016.