Woodland, Meadow and River Habitats

Bluebells

The bluebell which is a sun loving plant successfully carries out its lifecycle each year in a woodland habitat.

Betsey Hickey

Bluebells
Betsey Hickey

Bluebells

The bluebell which is a sun loving plant successfully carries out its lifecycle each year in a woodland habitat.

Betsey Hickey

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Bluebells

Although woodland is normally regarded as a shady habitat, the bluebell which is a sun loving plant successfully carries out its' lifecycle each year. It avoids the severe shade cast by the tree canopy by having its main period of growth before the leaves of trees are fully expanded.

Meadow thistle

Thistle (Cirsium dissectum) are among some of the best flowers for attracting butterflies and a few thistles in a sunny corner will attract all the usual garden species, while goldfinches and other finches will eat the seeds later in the season where they can be found swaying to and fro on the stems as they peck away at the seeds.

River Slaney, Tullow

The flowing water of streams and rivers can make it a difficult habitat for some wildlife such as small fish to stay alive, however plants growing in the water or at the edges of the river bank can slow the down the flow of water allowing them to survive. The vegetation such as plants growing along the riverbank of the Slaney on the outskirts of Tullow, County Carlow, also provides food and shelter for a whole range of fauna including otters, coots, moorhens, ducks and swans. This also allows nature to live in towns and cities.