Cosmos Flower and Irish Stone Wall

Cosmos Flower and Irish Stone Wall.

I really love the contrasts of brilliantly colored flowers against the somber tones and historical backdrop of Ireland’s ubiquitous stone walls.

In this image, a Cosmos flower is bathed in afternoon sunshine in front of the shaded side of an old rock wall winding through the County Clare countryside.

Cosmos flowers are popular in Irish country gardens, though they are native to the much warmer climate of Mexico.

Most of the stone walls found throughout Ireland were built out of necessity for delineating land parcels but also to put to use the limestone nuggets cleared from farmland.

As Ireland essentially is a rock island, the same type of stone used in these fences is found in ancient monuments, stone forts, and monastic settlements.