Meán Fómhair - Notice Nature Months of the Year lr... · Meán Fómhair SEPTEMBER ENFO 17 St....

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Meán FómhairSEPTEMBER

ENFO17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2. LoCall: 1890 200 191 Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933Email: [email protected]: www.enfo.ie

ENFO17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.LoCall: 1890 200 191 Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933R.phost: [email protected]éasán: www.enfo.ie

Along the country lane, berries are plentiful on the hawthorn bushes andthere are juicy berries on the blackberry bushes . Children are hard at workpicking the fruit . Birds love blackberries, too. A starling and a happychaffinch are enjoying a great feast. The blackbird is more interestedin searching the ivy flowers for insects, while the wasps feed on fallen

apples. Butterflies like the large blue and the red admiral 1 are still to beseen, bringing beauty and colour to the countryside. It is fun to cycle 1 and itcertainly causes no pollution! Use your bike as often as possible and you will behelping the environment. Always wear your helmet! 12

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www.10steps.ie



It’s easy to make a differencewww.10steps.ie

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The whole countryside is rich with autumn berries, fruits and nuts. The boys collecting

horse chestnuts, or conkers (1) have disturbed a dozy hedgehog (2) who had just settled

down for a long winter sleep. Two magpies (3) sitting on the tree are still on the look-out

for food, while a busy mother sparrow (4) feeds a juicy worm to one of her autumn brood

of chicks. The beautiful goldfinches (5) are seen in the thistlebed and other members of

the family, the bullfinches are on an elderberry bush, enjoying a feast of berries (7).

Sitting on the telegraph wires, swallows (8) are preparing to migrate to the African sun.

Below, a family is helping the environment by saving bottles and drink cans for

re-cycling (9). We can all play our part!

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Deireadh FómharOCTOBER

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The leaves have fallen from the trees making it easier to identify them by their shapes.The alder tree makes a nice perch for three finches, the greenfinch , chaffinch(3) and siskin . Under the tree, a grey squirrel is gathering hazelnuts to storeaway for the winter. A little field (wood) mouse is also searching for food. On theriver, a pen (a female swan) and her cygnets swim past a perky pied wagtail . A

lovely king fisher sits on a branch, watching children helping to clean up the river.They have a grown-up with them, of course. The other children are looking at a pipespewing waste into the river, polluting the water . This should be reported. The frogwill soon bury himself in the mud, to sleep until the spring . Snails 12 too, will sleepaway the winter under a tree stump.

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SamhainNOVEMBER

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It is the end of the year and the days are getting shorter. It is getting colder andwe must look after the birds. Grandad has made a nice birdtable (1) to holdkitchen scraps, nuts, etc., and water (2) for our feathered friends. The little wren(3) and the hedge sparrow (4) are looking forward to a regular feed every day. Themistlethrush (5) likes the berries of the mistletoe (6) growing on the apple tree. A

girl collects holly (7) for Christmas decoration watched by an inquisitive robin (8) .Rubbish is sorted out (9) for re-cycling, something we should all do. The car hasbeen left at home today 10 , so the air will be just that little bit more pure! It’s awonderful world – let’s keep it that way, Happy Christmas!

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NollaigDECEMBER

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This month the ground can be really hard and birds often do not get enough to eat.

Don’t forget to feed them. These birds, starling , house sparrow (2) , chaffinch (3),

robin (4) and the acrobatic blue tits (5), have been fortunate to find a bird table.

Birds need water, too. Pretty little snowdrops (6) flower even under the snow. Tracks

(7) show that a Rabbit passed this way. He was lucky that the hungry fox (8) wasn’t

around at the time! A pair of magpies (9) sit on the bare branch of a hazel tree 10).

No smoke is coming from these chimneys! (11 Smokeless fuel is helping to keep the air

we breathe pure and healthy.

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EanáirJANUARY

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There are signs that nature is coming to life again. Catkins (1) decorate the hazeltree and the blackbird (2) sings his happy song. Blackthorn (3) begins to bloomand the little wren (4) sits among the leaves and ivy berries (5) looking for asuitable nesting site. Lichen and moss (6) colour the wall. Crocuses (7) peepthrough to brighten the winter gloom. Black-headed gulls (8) follow the plough,

searching for tasty grubs and worms, while wood-pigeons (9) perch on thebranches of a beech tree 10 looking for seeds. Newborn lambs romp in the fieldwith their mother. The childen know the ‘country code’! They always make sure toshut the gate.

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FeabhraFEBRUARY

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Spring is here at last and nature is celebrating. Bright yellow daffodils (1) anddelicate primroses (2) make a lovely splash of colour and pretty pussy-willows (3)decorate the branches. Lesser celandines (4) brighten the pond-side where a Frog(5) is looking for a mate. In the pond, the moorhen (6) feels safe because the dogis on a leash (7). Dogs, of course, should always be kept under control. March

winds (8) make the clothes dance on the line and up above the noisy rooks (9) arenesting. The lapwing (1 is still looking for a nesting site in the fields. Hares 11 go‘mad’ about now and ‘box’ each other! It is nice to be able to gather your ownshamrock 1 .

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MártaMARCH

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April is the month of sunshine and showers. Bright green leaves appear on thehorse chestnut tree (1). The tortoiseshell butterfly (2) flutters over lovelyviolets and tiny forgetmenots (4). Even the common dandelions (5) lookpretty! In the stream, the mallard family swim past marsh-marigolds (orking-cups) (7) and the nest of a moorhen . Further up the stream, the mute

swan (9) is watching the cleaning-up operation. Always have a grown-up withyou when you are taking rubbish out of the water . The pied wagtail (1 fliesover the little vole, 12 busily washing himself. When observing the wonders ofnature, keep as quiet as possible 13 and never disturb anything.

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AibreánAPRIL




This is the month of flowers. The woods are carpeted with the misty colour ofbluebells (1) and hedgerows are covered with sweet smelling hawthorn (2).Usually, wild flowers should never be picked but daisies (3) are an exception tothe rule! A linnet (4) perches in a gorse bush (5) while above in the horse-

chestnut tree , a cuckoo (7) keeps repeating his strange call. The uprightblossoms on the tree resemble candles. A peacock butterfly (8) hovers overbrightly coloured ladybirds (9) sitting on nettles. Do your best to stop thedumping of the rubbish which scars our lovely countryside .

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BealtaineMAY

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The long days of June are filled with the sounds of birds singing, grasshopperschirping and bees (1) buzzing as they fly from flower to flower. These busyworkers gather nectar from flowers like the dog-rose (2) and then turn it intohoney. Swallows (3) glide gracefully over the meadow covered with scarletpoppies , foxgloves , buttercups and daisies. An orange tip butterfly

(7) flies over a shy hedgehog (8) creeping through the long grass. Two playfulfox cubs (9) peep out at the people clearing up after a picnic 10 . Wrappers,bottles and cans are being collected and will be brought home. Plastic bags,particularly, should never be left lying around. They can harm animals!

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MeitheamhJUNE

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It is holiday time! When you go to the beach this summer, always remember touse the litter bins (1) . You could join one of the many clean-up groups and helpto collect litter left by careless people (2). There is noise pollution, too! Keepthat radio turned down! Other people may not want to listen to noisy popmusic! (3) Terns (4) are busily nesting and turnstones (5) are looking for food

in the bladderwrack, watched by two curious rabbits in the sand dunes (6). Atthe rock pool, a shore crab (7) crawls among the limpets (8) whelks and razorshells (9). There is colour at the seaside. Thrift 10 is a lovely pink plant andthe yellow ragwort (11 attracts a cinnabar moth 12 .

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IÚILJULY

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We are really into the summer now and a lot of us like to go picnicking. Neverlight a fire to boil water, (1) especially near trees! If you must have a hot drink,bring a flask (2) and always take your litter home. The birds also like picnics!A yellow-hammer (3) pecks happily at fat rosehips (4) and a thrush (5) enjoysthe berries on a rowan tree. A farmer is harvesting golden wheat and crows (6)

gobble up the ripe grains. A lovely painted lady butterfly and a hover flylike the sweet-scented honeysuckle (9 . A stoat hunts for little fieldmice,homeless now, after the farmer’s great machine has wrecked their nests.

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LúnasaAUGUST

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Meán Fómhair - Notice Nature Months of the Year lr... · Meán Fómhair SEPTEMBER ENFO 17 St....

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