Bypamadden
Shrubs in the Garden On a bleak winter’s day in the garden, it can be a pleasant surprise to turn a corner and experience a sweet scent wafting in the cold air. An inconspicuous shrub called Sarcococca confusa or Sweet box could be the provenance of the unusual fragrance hanging in the air. This evergreen shrub…
Bypamadden
Audio version – Snowdrops Snowdrops (1) Credit E Ó Murchú Heralds of spring; heralds of hope. The Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) or Plúirín sneachta in Irish appears in January and blooms until March (1). It is one of the first flowers of the year to appear in gardens, semi-shaded places, old graveyards and hedgerows (2). Snowdrops…
Bypamadden
Audio – Common Yew Common yew (1a) Irish yew (1b) Common Yew (Taxus baccata) or Iúr/Eo in Irish is an evergreen conifer which like another conifer, the Scot’s pine, is native to Ireland (1a). A mutant, upright, fastigate form of the yew is the Irish yew (Taxus baccata ‘Fastiagata’) the original of which was discovered…
Bypamadden
Audio version of Scots Pine Scot’s pine wood in Kildare (1a) Stately trees (1b) Credit Geraldine James Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) or Giúis in Irish is an evergreen conifer which is native to Ireland. It colonised the country about 12,000 years ago but was thought to have become extinct because of wetter climatic conditions about…
Bypamadden
Audio – Symbol of Life Snow on holly (1) Holly (Ilex aquifolium) or Cuileann in Irish was classified by the 8th century Laws of Neighbourhood as one of the seven ‘nobles of the wood’ (1). These included as well oak, ash, yew, Scots pine, crab apple, hazel. It had a high ranking because it was…
Bypamadden
Audio version of Hedgerow Bounty Caring for birds (1) We can help garden birds survive the winter by providing them with food and clean water (1). This must be done on a consistent basis and strict hygienic standards must be observed. More harm than good can be done by not being consistent and hygienic in…
Bypamadden
Native hedgerow Native hedgerow (1) Even though native hedgerows are excellent for enhancing biodiversity some people are reluctant to plant them because they mistakenly think they are difficult to create (1)Their creation does require some careful planning but when species are selected, and an order of planting decided the planting itself is very straightforward. Plant…
Bypamadden
Native Hedgerow Native hedgerow (1) Native hedgerows consisting of a wide variety of trees, shrubs and wildflowers are sometimes all that remains of ancient woodland. Most, however, are field boundaries that were planted in the last couple of centuries when enclosure of fields occurred (1). Hedgehog (2) Speckled wood (3) They are often referred to…
Bypamadden
Audio version about Millipedes Decaying leaves (1) Animals that obtain nutrients by eating detritus which is dead animal and plant parts are called detritivores (1). They ingest the nutrients. Examples of detritivores are earthworms, slugs and snails, millipedes, dung beetles and the larvae of beetles and flies.On the other hand, organisms that break down dead…
Bypamadden
Audio – The European Larch Spring larch (1) The European larch (Larix decidua) or Learóg in Irish is unique amongst conifers in this part of the world because it sheds its needle shaped leaves in autumn. Conifers are usually evergreen. It is a native of mountainous regions in Central Europe and the Pyrenees. The drooping…
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)
Construction of this website has been funded by the Blackrock Education Centre
© Copyright 2020 – Engage with Nature. All right reserved.
Created by MGS Website Designer
Your communication is important to us. Your email will be responded to at our earliest convenience.
