Alder trees are not disappointing this year; they are putting on their usual excellent display of catkins. In a simple world, the flowers of all Irish plants fall into two distinct groups: those that ...

THE Tree Council of Ireland has the gift of prophesy: it designated 2008, one of the rainiest ever recorded, as the Year of the Alder. For this tree, wetter is better. Alders love swampy places. The ...

Trees spent the winter standing in all the weather while we took shelter. Whether it was a couple of feet of snow, temperatures far into the negative numbers for long periods of time or strong winds, ...

THE fallen thrush’s nest lay under a tall, dense conifer, its summer job done. Still a thing of beauty, this tidy structure of twigs, grass and moss, cemented together with an inner lining of mud, ...