In a nature devoid landscape Ireland's Oak trees are a cornerstone of the remaining ecosystems 🌿☘️. One of the Seven Nobles of the Wood, Oaks support more biodiversity than any other tree in Ireland, supporting over 280 insect species with some estimates reaching close to 400

What Belfast YMCA have done is foul . PRIOR to putting this out to public consultation the manager of the site ensured that the rewilded hockey pitches which hosted a beautiful sanctuary for wildlife including many mature Silver Birch, Holly and 20-30 year old Oak trees was.

Holly doing it's best work and forming a protective understory beneath a copse of Silver Birch 🌲🌳. Today marks the beginning of the Lunar Month of Holly in the Ogham Tree Calendar🌲🌙 . It seems strange that Holly, so associated with Winter, Yule and Christmas should be

Ash are beautiful trees with delightful airy canopies that allow life to flourish beneath them 💮🦋. They are sacred across Europe and of the Five Guardian Trees of Ireland three were Ash 🌳🌿. There are, however, much darker legends attached to these majestic trees and in

Known in Ireland as Sceach gheal, the Hawthorn tree has many names 🌳☘️ . Amongst them are Whitethorn, Mayblossom and even the Butcher's Larder 💮🍖 . One of these names, the Quickthorn, which is often attributed to the fact that the tree takes easily from cuttings and grows

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Primrose add an ethereal glow to woodland floors in early Spring ✨. In English folklore, the growth of the Primrose is inextricably linked to the health of humans and the flower will not grow were great tragedy has occurred 💔💀 . In the village of Cockfield in Suffolk it is

Some birds, just like Butterflies are believed to be able to transcend the boundary between worlds 🪶🦋 . Adar Rhiannon "The Birds of Rhiannon" are three magical birds, often described as Blackbirds" whose song it is said is capable of waking the dead and lulling those who hear

Rosebay Willowherb lighting up Belfast's grey docklands 🌸. A stunning pioneer species, Fireweed, sprang up across the war scorched cities of Britain during the early 1940s and quickly became a symbol of nature's resilience in the face of the very worst that human nature had to

Holly is known as Cuileann in Irish and this little Holly has a beautiful view of the Scots Pine in Glenveagh National Park in Co.Donegal 🌲 . Holly is dioecious meaning that each tree has just male or female flowers and it is powerfully protective 💮🍒. A house surrounded by

Bird's-foot trefoil growing at the Giant's Ring in Belfast. This neolithic site was, until recent years, part of the intolerable two week mowing regime🌼🔥 . It is a stunning plant that is a favourite among pollinators in Ireland and has more colloquial names than any other

Living for not much more than a year Robins perfectly embody the fleeting beauty of the natural world 🍒. Determined and unafraid they visit us to let us know that our loved ones who have passed are waiting for us ❤️🪶

Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) like to grow by footpaths, roads, rivers. anywhere really. Which is good news for the pollinators who adore it 🐝🦋. Chewed up and applied directly to wounds as a field dressing it has long been believed that this plant has strong curative

Viking invaders once destroyed an entire Pictish army keeping only the King and his son alive ⚔️. Held and tortured on a clifftop the captives were ordered to reveal the recipe for the ale that the Picts brewed from Heather 🍻. The King promised to reveal the secret if his son

A Pyramidal Orchid stealing the show on Donegal's Atlantic coast 💜🌿. Having been granted it's name on account of the shape of it's root tubers, the beautiful Orchid is known as Magairlín in Irish which means "testicles"

In Norse folklore, the Foxglove was a gift to the foxes from mischievous fairies🌷🌿. Intended as socks to cushion & silence the feet of the fox allowing them to quietly enter the chicken coop of an unsuspecting human 🦊🩷

A little Oak (Pedunculate or Sessile) starting out life on the moss covered remains of a long fallen relative 💚. There is no such thing as a dead tree 🌳✨

One more "weed" forming an essential cog in nature's wheel 🛞🌼. Lesser Celandine graces swamps and woodland floors from late February to early March until May 🌼. This early source of nectar for pollinating insects it gets it's name from the Greek word chelidon which means

Fearnóg in Irish and Fearn in the Ogham writing system, this little Alder has a lifespan of about 80 years ahead of it ☘️ . The rich rusty waters of the stream whose banks it binds are coloured so due to the tannins that leach from the rich organic matter in the soil around it

Known in Ireland as Lasair choille "Forest Flame", this fledgling Goldfinch has yet to develop the incandescent bright red facial markings that give it it's name 🔥. A group of Goldfinches is known as "a charm" and they are known to gather where fairies live, often being seen