Audio version of Thistles – P Madden Painted Lady (1) These three thistles bloom from high summer until autumn. They are excellent for attracting a wide variety of insects because of their plentiful supplies of nectar. Their seeds are eaten by birds, especially goldfinches. They are also the foodplants of the Painted lady butterfly. (1) …
Spear Thistle, Creeping Thistle and Marsh Thistle Read More »
Audio version of Bees – P Madden Sweet peas (1a) These flowering plants are members of the pea family. This is the third largest flower family in the world and includes peas, beans, lupins, wisterias, gorse, clovers, brooms and trefoils. (1a,1b) They have five petals which include a flag or standard which is upright, two …
Audio version of Ragwort – P Madden Common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) or Buachalán buí in Irish is blooming now. (1) This poisonous plant is common on grasslands, wastelands, roadsides and arable land. It is a member of the daisy family with yellow disc florets in the centre and ray florets circling the disc florets Ragwort …
Audio version of Bindweeds – P Madden The Hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) or Ialus fáil in Irish and the Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) or Ainleog in Irish are blooming now. (1a;1b) The former, which can grow to a height of three metres can be seen in hedges, woodland edges and waste ground; the latter is …
Audio version of Butterfly – P Madden There are well over a hundred species of Buddleia in the world. They are native to North and South America and parts of Asia and Africa. The most popular species in gardens is Buddleia davidii or the Butterfly bush. (1a;1b) The “Buddleia” part of the name refers to …
Audio version of Poppy etc – P Madden These five colourful wildflowers were plentiful in cornfields decades ago when herbicides and seed cleaning were not used. They presented an eye-catching spectacle in crops of wheat, oats and barley. (1) The colour contrast provided by these annuals in cornfields ranged from scarlet in the poppies (Papaver …
Audio version of Wild privet – P Madden Wild privet (1) Meadow sweet (2a) Mass of Meadow sweet on roadside (2b) Wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare) or Pribhéad in Irish bears heavily scented white flowers in June and July. (1) For hundreds of years this plant was used for hedging because its shoots regenerate quickly when …
Audio version of Daisy Days – P Madden Ox Eye Daisy (1a) Mass of Ox Eye Daisies (1b) The Ox-Eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) Dog daisy, Moon daisy or Nóinín mór in Irish is a very noticeable common wildflower flower.(1a;1b) It blooms from June to August on tall stems on roadside verges, meadows, wildlife gardens and …
Audio version of Butterflies – P Madden The Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) or Fáinneog in Irish is a common butterfly and can be found this month in all parts of the country. (1a;1b) It is dark brown in colour with yellow fringed eyespots on the forewings and hindwings. Its name is derived from these. The female …
Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood Butterflies Read More »
Audio version of Solitary Bees – P Madden There are 77 species of Solitary bee resident in Ireland and all are excellent pollinators. They do not live in colonies like honeybees or bumblebees. Instead of egg-laying queens in hives solitary bees have females that mate, lay eggs and build nurseries. If you erect a solitary …
What is important is that children have the opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it, before being asked to heal its wounds
(David Sobel)
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