Green Sod Ireland An Fóidín Glas Establishing WildAcres across Ireland to create safe habitats, vital for biodiversity. Delivering ecological education to encourage the proactive preservation of Nature We are most especially grateful to Brá Conal Ó Tómais, Corr an Dola, Co. na Gaillimhe for sharing his beautiful book Wildflowers of Annaghdown with Green Sod - much of the information in this leaflet comes from his research. His book is available by phoning 0864042047. Other sources - the Heritage Council biodiversity site; Irish Woodland Biodiversity; Woodlands of Ireland; to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. In Ireland, the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 protects hedgerows to a limited extent. It reads: It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated . . . or in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned above. Green Sod Ireland 58 Dominick Street Lower, Phone: 0864042047 Reg. Charity No. CHY16961 www.greensodireland.ie www.greensodireland.ie WildAwake Walks 2015 Walk Where You Are to Celebrate Earth Day. This little biodiversity booklet is focusing on what you might see at this time of the year around where you live. However, it also has information on plants that you will see at various other times of the year. We offer a special míle Buiochas to Brá Conal Ó Tómais, Corr an Dola, Co. na Gaillimhe for helping in the preparation of this booklet by sharing the information in his book W ildflowers of A nnaghdown with us. WildAwake - Walk where you are in wonder at the sight of April primroses in a hedgerow or a woodland alive with bluebells! We would advise that you do not pick the flowers and/or leaves from hedgerows, and that you do not disturb the homes/ habitats of the creatures who live there. While we have attempted to give you names in English, Irish, and Latin for the flowers and shrubs described, we would like you to remember what Patrick Kavanagh says in his poem I knew you all by eyesight long before I knew your name, I loved you before we were introduced - so enjoy looking with love and appreciation at your neighbours in hedgerows and woodlands as you become WildAwake and . . . Walk Where You Are this Earth Day, April 22nd and support the work of Green Follow Green Sod Ireland on Sod Ireland. 1 Hedgerows - appreciate and protect Coastal Areas them! - are particularly rich in biodiversity – the interaction of wind and waves working together to shape rocks and sand provides many habitats for plants and animals to live in, such as the familiar sand dunes. We see them all over the country, and it is so easy to take them for granted. Hedgerows are very important to Biodiversity. They are home to myriad perennial and annual flowers, primrose, dog rose, cow parsley, foxglove, fuschia, daisy, guelder rose and many grasses and ferns. Hedgerows support numerous habitats, offer shelter from the elements and provide safe travel from one place to another for many small mammals, insects, butterflies, plants, amphibians, and spiders. A hedgerow is a place where creatures find shelter from the elements and can get a very good food supply. It is estimated that two-thirds of our native birds nest in hedgerows. Try to identify some of these plants that you are likely to see around this time of the year that will be in flower. Hawthorn, Whitethorn – An Sceach geal – Crataegus monogyna - visible in many hedgerows around Ireland in May/June this plant will produce masses of scented white flowers, followed by red berries in Autumn known as haws which are a favourite food of many of our native birds along with some of our winter visitors such as Redwings. 2. Plants in sand dunes include sea rocket, marram grass and lichens and sedges and/or creeping willows in wetter areas. Machair is a highly specialised and complex sandy coastal habitat which in the entire world, only occurs in the northwest coast of Ireland and Scotland. Galway Bay to Malin Head, Donegal where gales and high winds are frequent is home to machair (a gently undulating sandy plain that develops beside the sea) - a highly complex sandy coastal habitat – formed when calcareous sand is blown in by prevailing winds from beaches and dunes - it is one of the rarest wildlife habitats in Europe afforded priority under the EU habitats directive as a Special Protected Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Clumps of yellow and brown seaweed cover tidal flats during low tide in County Galway on the west coast of Ireland. Seaweeds are marine algae: saltwater-dwelling, simple organisms that fall into the category of "plants". Most of them are the green (about 1500 species), brown (about 1800 species) or red (about 6500 species) kinds, and most are attached by holdfasts, which generally just have an anchorage function, although a particularly efficient one. Can you name some seaweeds – ever heard of Kelp (brown) Carageen or Dillisk (red)? Count how many different seaweed varieties you can see where you are. 9. What can you do? Primrose – An Samhaircín - Primula vulgaris - Plant a native tree in your back garden, such as a rowan, silver birch, wild cherry or crab apple are appropriate form the average domestic garden and will provide a great source of food for myriad wild creatures. You could also become a member of Green Sod Ireland (link?) and help us to look after nature for all our sakes. Violets, primroses and wood anemones thrive with copses and Woodlands. Meadows – look out for less intensively managed areas. - Meadows are not such a common sight in Ireland these days. So wherever they are they need to be supported and encouraged. They are very important habitats for a wide variety of plants, insects and other wildlife. Insects provide an important food source for the chicks of breeding birds such as Skylark and Meadow Pipit as well as the now rare Corncrake. In some areas the wild flowers in a meadow will provide food for rare insects such as the Great Yellow Bumblebee. Meadows which receive high levels of fertiliser and are cut early have little or no wildlife value. Meadow- Lady’s Bedstraw, Foxtail, Meadow Buttercup, Yellow Rattle and Ox-eye Daisy with broadleaved herbs such as Cow Parsley and common Knapweed. These diverse plant communities need to be conserved. Meadows also provide valuable nesting habitats for birds such as the Corncrake. Areas that are not cut until August suit the nesting habits of the Corncrake and are only now found in parts of Donegal, the midlands and some parts of Connaught. Red clover and Knapweed are important feeding plants to many species. Animals and Hedgerows Badger - broc 8 - also known as the ‘first rose’ – a lovely, apt name for this beautiful little yellow flower that is found nestling in hedgerows, woods and on shady banks. The flowers grow singly on fine stalks rising from the middle of the root. Lady’s Smock – An Biolair Gréagáin – Cardamine pratensis - is also known as the cuckoo flower because it begins to flower at the same time the cuckoo begins to call. These almost white flower with a purple tinge thrives in large patches beside streams, in damp meadows and marshy areas. Lady’s smock has four petals, each of which has a slight nick in the outer edge. The frutis are long, thin pods held at an angle to the stem which open suddenly and throw out the seeds. Guelder rose – Caorchon – Viburnum opulus - not a rose as we know roses, it tends to thrive in wettish soil along edges or the edges of fields. Insects love its bountiful spring blossoms and its red berries are a favourite food of birds in Autumn. Its flowers are creamy white and larger at the outer edge. 3 Blackberry brambles – Dris, sméara dubha – Rubus fruticosus - needs no introduction! You will see its long thorny spread and will most likely be familiar with its abundance of big juicy blackberries in the autumn time. In July the white/blue flowers start to appear. The Brambles thorny nature helps to hide small birds from predators. This fruit is not only delicious for us to eat, but is an invaluable food source for many mammals, insects and birds. Underneath you will see the starry white flowers of Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) and the Bluebell (Endymion nonscriptus) Marsh Marigold – Lus buí Bealtaine – Caltha palustris - flowers from March to May. This yellow flower is also known as May flower, it grows along riverbanks and in other marshy places. It is closely related to the buttercup family and has five bright yellow, glossy petals. Cow Parsley – An Phéirsil bhó – Anthriscus sylvestris - is a member of the same family as carrot, celery, fennel and parsley, and doesn’t particularly like wet soils. It produces lots of white flowers during May and June and is very common in Irish hedgerows. 4 Woodlands - seek one that has some native Irish trees in it Ireland lost a lot of its native woodlands to farming, cleared to make way for livestock and crops leaving Ireland as one of the least wooded countries in Europe with only 9% under forests, with only 1% being native woodland and the remaining 8% non-native conifers. Woodlands are composed of variety of trees of differing heights. Oak and Ash are the tall trees that form the canopy of the woodland and hawthorn, holly and hazel grow below that. The ground growth is made up of ferns, grasses, sedges and herbaceous plants. This type of woodland provides innumerable habitats for a wide range of flora and fauna. Dead wood or fallen trees are very important habitats too – they are home to fungi and specialised insects and bacteria. Remember the many layers of a wood are crucial to the biodiversity of our land. Natural or ancient woodlands are rare in Ireland now. Did you know that laurel, beech, sycamore and spruce are non-native trees? Some non-native trees are becoming ‘nativised’ –that means that native insects and plants can co-habit with them. Rhododendron is an invasive non-native species which is very difficult to remove – it supports no life other than its own. 7 - find refuge in hedgerows and are a protected species under the Wildlife Act 1976 (amendment) Act 2000. They like to eat earthworms. Hedgehog – Grainneóg - these spiny creatures find refuge in the protective covering of the hedgerow and also in open woodlands. One hedgehog could have anything up to 7000 spines!) Honeysuckle – Lus na meala – Lonicera periclymenum - will wind its way around its neighbours in the hedgerow. It produces yellow and white flowers during the long summer months, (June to September) gifting us with its sweet scent that attracts pollinating insects and many bees. Bunches of red berries provide food for many throughout the autumn months. Crab Apple – Ubhall Fhiadai – Malus sylvestris Robin - Spideog - has pink and white flowers in Spring and produces small, sour, yellowish apples in the Autumn. Some moths and caterpillars and other insects thrive on the leaves and fruit of this little plant. - probably need no introduction! Owl - Ulchabhan Lesser periwinkle – Meanga′n bheag – Vinca minor - visit hedgerows and sheltered areas forage for small invertebrates, feeding small mammals and young birds. to on Fox – Sionnach - often like to visit hedgerows to feed on small mammals and young birds. They like to forage and can often be seen roaming the countryside. - these bright blue flowers are found growing under hedges along the roadside. It has thin creeping stems which root at the nodes. The leaves are elliptical with pointed tips, hairless and borne on short stalks in opposite pairs. They have five spreading petal-lobes with a white ring at the centre. Holly – Cuileann – Illex aquifolium 6 is a tough plant and probably grows best in shade. Its berries (on the female plant only) are red and eaten by a variety of birds. 5 Green Sod Ireland - An Fóidín Glas WildAcres are homes/habitats where species thrive and flourish Red Bog, Co. Carlow Life Gift Biodiversity is the variety of plant and animal life on Earth Health Salrock, Connemara Biodiversity Middle pages
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