Search Results ... (626)
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Badger
Badger
Badger[Meles meles]
Lorcan Scott Duchas
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Native Woodland
Native Woodland
In the past Ireland was a heavily forested country. But over the centuries our forest cover began to dwindle, being used for industry and making room for people and agriculture. Today all of our woodlands have been managed at some stage in the past. For this reason, Irelands native woodlands are known as 'semi-natural'. The trees that are native to Ireland include the kings of the forest, Oak and Ash, the tallest trees that form the canopy layer. These trees act as a support for many other plants such as mosses and lichens, which can be seen on the lower trunks of these trees. Under the canopy trees, holly, hazel and birch grow in what is known as the understory. The shrub layer includes plants such as ferns, heathers, bilberry and lastly the herb layer consist of those plants living closest to the ground, such as the mosses that can be seen in this picture. There are many layers within a forest, each one accommodating certain species at certain times.
With kind permission of the Irish Wildlife Trust
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Improved Grassland
Improved Grassland
Most of Irelands grasslands fall into this category of intensively managed farmland. This means that they have probably been reseeded at some stage in their past, are fertilised or heavily grazed. Improved grasslands are generally dominated by a few species and have a tendency to have a low level of biodiversity. Improved grassland is of little conservation value. However, most Irish grasslands are surrounded by hedgerows. These linear features act a corridors for animals so that they can move from area to area, proving them with food and shelter to survive outside the intensively managed grasslands.
With kind permission of the Irish Wildlife Trust
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Azure Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Photograph of an Azure (Blue) Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)resting on a leaf. The fly has a long narrow
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Birds-foot Trefoil
Birds-foot Trefoil
Birds-foot Trefoil plant which is a woody plant with white flowers.
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Clouded Yellow butterfly
Clouded Yellow butterfly
Photograph of a Clouded Yellow Butterfly on a sprig of fern.
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Common Tern
Common Tern
The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is one of 5 terns that visit Ireland. Terns look like small gulls, with a silvery grey and white plumage, but have long pointed wings. The common tern has a red bill that is black tipped. They are very graceful in flight, and often hover over water before diving in to catch small fish and sand eels. There are approximately 100 colonies in Ireland, situated mostly in coastal areas such as rocky islands, shingle beaches or salt marshes. Tern arrive here in late April from the coast of west Africa and lay one clutch of up to 3 eggs. Most chicks have fledged by early August and are ready to leave for Africa by mid - late September. The average lifespan of the common tern is 33 years. It is now on the amber list of birds of conservation concern in Ireland.
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Fox cubs on the lawn
Fox cubs on the lawn
Photograph of two fox cubs playing on lawn grass in late spring.
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Verge
Verge
Grassland verges now act as important wildlife corridors. They are rarely fertilised, mown occasionally, and there is little or no grazing or fertiliser application. Species found in verges vary depending on the environmental factors and soil type of the verge, in addition to management regime. In this image there may be a range of grasses such as Creeping bents (Agrostis spp.) and Meadow grasses (Poa spp.). In addition there may be a range of coarser grasses such as Cock foot (Dactylis glomerata) and False Oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius). There may be some ivy and brambles present, which act as a habitat for insects and a great source of food and shelter for many birds.
With kind permission of the Irish Wildlife Trust
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Common Irish Blue female
Common Irish Blue female
Photograph of a Common Irish Blue female butterfly feeding on the ground. This butterfly has brownish wing with a blue hew, they are speckled with dark brown and orange tips.