Wildlife Bath Avenue Lough Naglack Poster 1 of 3 - Biodiversity … · 2020-01-23 · bugs and...
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Biodiversity Trail An overview T he Biodiversity Trail from the Municipal District Offices to the end of Bath Avenue at Lough Naglack is just over 1 kilometre long, but there is lots to see if you take the time to look! e walkway begins here at this information board, and on the right you will see a line of sycamore trees, planted at regular intervals; a common practice in earlier times to create attractive, tree-lined avenues. Further along the walk, the trail passes under the R179 road and to the left, the hedgerow continues, with more trees on the right. e trail passes the athletics track before entering into a mixed woodland of mature broadleaf trees with some conifers. A gap in the woodland to the right leads you down to where once existed a boathouse, and your first glimpse of Lough Naglack. ere are also a number of fishing stands which give access to the water, and from these you can see the remains of an old crannóg not far from the north shore. What can we see? ere are two other boards (AQUATiC LiFe and TReeS & PLANTS) on the route which will help explain a little more about what you might see along the Trail. What you can see will depend on a few things, especially the time of year. e easiest wildlife to see on the Trail are the trees and wildflowers. e Trail is a mixture of some typical irish hedgerow plants, and a mixed broadleaf wood- land called Shanmullagh Plantation. ere are also some common irish aquatic plants to be found in and around the lake. ese in turn sup- port a mix of irish species of mammals, animals, birds and in- sects. Along the hedgerows e first stretch of Bath Avenue is a mix of mature trees, shrubs and wildflowers. Along here, in the summer, you can expect to find flies, hoverflies, bees and butterflies. You may even see a dragonfly or two. if you look a little closer to the ground, you will discover that the grasses are alive with smaller bugs and beasties going about their business. Look out for spiders and beetles; these are the larger species you might find. Gently turn over a rock or piece of wood and you should see woodlice, earwigs and possibly worms. Many of our insects depend on specific flowers for their survival. ey feed on the nectar from the flowers, and also lay their eggs on the stems. one common insect you will find is the Froghop- per. is tiny brownish insect is well camouflaged and moves at lightning speed. in fact, it’s a far more impressive jumper than a flea. if froghop- pers were people, they could leap over a 200 metre high building in one go! Given this amazing power, it’s more likely you will see the frothy white blobs on the stems of plants such as the Meadowsweet. is is some- times known as ‘cuckoo spit’ and is secreted by the Froghopper nymphs (immature) in order to protect themselves as they grow. it does not damage the plant. You might see cuckoo spit between May and July. Butterflies you might see along the hedgerows include the Large White, Wood White and Small White. e common brown butterflies include the Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood. More colourful species include the Small Tor- toiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral. e Red In the early 1600’s, Carrickmacross consisted of Essex Castle (circa 1630), one slated-roof inn, and a few ramshackle houses. By 1682, it had grown into a town with the rebuilding of St. Finbarr’s Church, following the 1641 rebellion. When Essex Castle was destroyed after the Williamite wars, the site lay in ruins until the St. Louis nuns started a school there in the late 1800’s. Carrickmacross was now a busy market town, famous also for its lace industry. Bath Avenue was once used an approach to the Convent of St. Louis. Today, it is in public ownership and we can all enjoy this gentle walk. Whilst much has changed over the centuries, maps from over a hundred years ago (1907) show the Avenue much as it was then, along with St. Joseph’s Cemetery, and Shanmullagh Plantation; the woodland to the north of the lake. The rail line has vanished but the lake has changed little, despite a small drop in water level, though the boathouse on the north-west corner no longer exists. The crannóg, once an Iron Age stronghold for its creators and occupants, still exists as a small island. In more recent times, another famous piece of antiquity destined to become local lore was found at the bottom of Lough Naglack when a full skeleton of a Giant Irish Deer was recovered and presented to the National Museum in the late 1800’s, where it can be seen to this day as one of the finest examples of its kind. Admiral is one of the most attractive butterflies found in ireland, but it tends to be a migrant species that spreads northwards from europe. Many of our butterflies rely on the plants you can see along the hedges. Nettles, thistles and flowering plants such as Lady’s Smock, Garlic Mustard, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Meadow Vetchling and the climbing vetches are all important plants, either as food for the larvae, or as nectar for the adults. other insects such as bees, wasps and hoverflies also need nectar to survive. A good balance of wildflowers is therefore impor- tant for a healthy ecosystem. Birds Birds are harder to spot, but you should see some common species along the Trail, including Robins, dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Great Tits, thrushes, Jackdaws, Magpies and Wood Pi- geons. Up in the trees and sometime out rooting for in- sects in the open areas of grassland you should see Rooks. over- head, you may occasionally see a Kestrel, a Buzzard or a Raven. Animals Most sensible animals make themselves scarce when humans come tramping along into their domain. Mammals such as Foxes, Badgers and bats are nocturnal creatures, mostly, so you will not see them during the day. Grey Squirrels and Rabbits are active at daytime. Squirrels will come into your garden and help themselves to food left on a bird table. You might also find scrapes and small hollows dug into the pathways around the woods. ese might be made by Badgers, out hunting for grubs, beetles and worms. Wildlife ‘Corridors’ Some estimates of how much hedgerow we have in ireland put the figure at over 400,000 kilometres. at’s further than here to the moon! it accounts for about 1.5% of our land area, and though hedges were originally planted as bound- aries to create fields for livestock and crops, they now have a vital function in supporting ecosystems, especially those that have become isolated due to development of land through farming, drainage or building. ese hedgerows form a delicate network of linear habitats that provide both places to live for smaller species such as insects and birds, and also ‘corridors’ for the safe movement of larger animals such as Foxes, Badgers and bats. despite their rela- tively small size, and their location amongst busy farms, road net- works and on the edges of town and villages, hedgerows have often been quietly maturing for hundreds of years. ere can be up to 40 species of tree and shrub in a na- tive irish hedgerow, including the common ones such as Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Ash, Holly, Crab Apple and Bramble. ere may be over 100 wildflowers too, which is an astoundingly rich amount for such a small area of wildness. Common plants include Primrose, Wild Rose, Cow Parsley, dog Violet and Meadowsweet. Hedgerows are a precious resource and are pro- tected by law. A potted history of the area Bath Avenue & Lough Naglack - BiodiVeRSiTY TRAiL - Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District, Civic Offices, Riverside Road, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan. Telephone: (042) 9661236 Email: [email protected] Common sense rules The Trail itself is solid underfoot, and you will only need boots on a wet day. Please be very careful near the water and in particular, on the fishing stands. The water is deep in Lough Naglack. School trips should only visit the lake under supervision. Please keep dogs on a lead and clean up after your pets. Do not light fires or pick wildflowers. If you have anything suspicious to report, please contact the council offices on the number shown here, or call the Gardaí on 999. Take nothing but photos; leave nothing but memories; kill nothing but time. Thanks to Jimmy and Billy Scotson, Sean Farrelly, Denis O'Higgins, Nigel Monaghan and Mary Kelly-Quinn for help putting these posters together. The huge skeleton of the Giant Irish Deer or ‘Irish Elk’, Megaloceros giganteus. See the original in the Natural History Museum in Dublin. Primroses; the classic Irish spring flower. Ox-eye Daisy flower in the grassy areas. A Froghopper nymph. Meadow Brown butterfly. Grey Squirrel. Coming to a garden near you! A Rook. A member of the crow family, but not a Crow! A Dor Beetle. You may see this guy lumbering along the paths. Meadowsweet with the tell-tale signs of ‘Cuckoo Spit’. Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0 Design: www.thedrawingboard.ie Unless stated, images © Declan Kenny Wildlife Poster 1 of 3 Right: a young fox. If you want to catch a glimpse of wild animals such as foxes or badgers, you will need to get up very early indeed!
Transcript of Wildlife Bath Avenue Lough Naglack Poster 1 of 3 - Biodiversity … · 2020-01-23 · bugs and...
Biodiversity TrailAn overview
The Biodiversity Trail from the MunicipalDistrict Offices to the end of Bath Avenueat Lough Naglack is just over 1 kilometre
long, but there is lots to see if you take the timeto look!
e walkway begins here at this informationboard, and on the right you will see a line ofsycamore trees, planted at regular intervals; acommon practice in earlier times to createattractive, tree-lined avenues.
Further along the walk, the trail passes underthe R179 road and to the left, the hedgerowcontinues, with more trees on the right. etrail passes the athletics track before enteringinto a mixed woodland of mature broadleaftrees with some conifers.
A gap in the woodland to the right leads youdown to where once existed a boathouse, andyour first glimpse of Lough Naglack. ere arealso a number of fishing stands which giveaccess to the water, and from these you can seethe remains of an old crannóg not far from thenorth shore.
What can we see?ere are two other boards (AQUAtiC LiFeand trees & PLANts) on the route whichwill help explain a little more about what youmight see along the trail.
What you can see will depend on a few things,especially the time of year. e easiest wildlifeto see on the trail are the trees and wildflowers.e trail is a mixture of some typical irishhedgerow plants, and a mixed broadleaf wood-land called shanmullagh Plantation.
ere arealso somec o m m o nirish aquaticplants to befound in andaround thelake. esein turn sup-port a mix ofirish speciesof mammals,a n i m a l s ,birds and in-sects.
Along the hedgerowse first stretch of Bath Avenue is a mix ofmature trees, shrubs and wildflowers. Alonghere, in the summer, you can expect to findflies, hoverflies, bees and butterflies. you mayeven see a dragonfly or two.
if you look a little closer to the ground, you willdiscover that the grasses are alive with smallerbugs and beasties going about their business.Look out for spiders and beetles; these are thelarger species you might find. Gently turn overa rock or piece of wood and you should seewoodlice, earwigs and possibly worms.
Many of our insects depend on specific flowersfor their survival. ey feed on the nectar fromthe flowers, and also lay their eggs on the stems.
one common insect you will find is the Froghop-per. is tiny brownish insect is well camouflagedand moves at lightning speed. in fact, it’s a farmore impressive jumper than a flea. if froghop-pers were people, they could leap over a 200metre high building in one go!
Given this amazing power, it’s more likely youwill see the frothy white blobs on the stems ofplants such as the Meadowsweet. is is some-times known as ‘cuckoo spit’ and is secreted bythe Froghopper nymphs (immature) in order toprotect themselves as they grow. it does notdamage the plant. you might see cuckoo spitbetween May and July.
Butterflies you might see along the hedgerowsinclude the Large White, Wood White andsmall White. e common brown butterfliesinclude the Meadow Brown and speckled Wood.More colourful species include the small tor-toiseshell, Peacock and red Admiral. e red
In the early 1600’s, Carrickmacross consisted of Essex Castle (circa 1630), one slated-roof inn, and a few ramshacklehouses. By 1682, it had grown into a town with the rebuilding of St. Finbarr’s Church, following the 1641 rebellion.When Essex Castle was destroyed after the Williamite wars, the site lay in ruins until the St. Louis nuns started aschool there in the late 1800’s. Carrickmacross was now a busy market town, famous also for its lace industry.
Bath Avenue was once used an approach to the Convent of St. Louis. Today,it is in public ownership and we can all enjoy this gentle walk. Whilstmuch has changed over the centuries, maps from over a hundred yearsago (1907) show the Avenue much as it was then, along with St.Joseph’s Cemetery, and Shanmullagh Plantation; the woodland tothe north of the lake. The rail line has vanished but the lake haschanged little, despite a small drop in water level, though theboathouse on the north-west corner no longer exists. Thecrannóg, once an Iron Age stronghold for its creators andoccupants, still exists as a small island. In more recent times,another famous piece of antiquity destined to become local lorewas found at the bottom of Lough Naglack when a full skeleton of a Giant IrishDeer was recovered and presented to the National Museum in the late 1800’s,where it can be seen to this day as one of the finest examples of its kind.
Admiral is one of the most attractive butterfliesfound in ireland, but it tends to be a migrantspecies that spreads northwards from europe.
Many of our butterflies rely on the plants youcan see along the hedges. Nettles, thistles andflowering plants such as Lady’s smock, GarlicMustard, Bird’s-foot trefoil, Meadow vetchlingand the climbing vetches are all importantplants, either as food for the larvae, or as nectarfor the adults. other insects such as bees, waspsand hoverflies also need nectar to survive. Agood balance of wildflowers is therefore impor-tant for a healthy ecosystem.
BirdsBirds are harder to spot, but you should seesome common species along the trail, includingrobins, dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, Bluetits, Great tits, thrushes, Jackdaws, Magpies
and Wood Pi-geons. Up inthe trees andsometime outrooting for in-sects in theopen areas ofgrassland youshould seerooks. over-head, you mayoccasionallysee a Kestrel, aBuzzard or araven.
AnimalsMost sensible animals make themselves
scarce when humans come trampingalong into their domain. Mammalssuch as Foxes, Badgers and bats are
nocturnal creatures, mostly, so you willnot see them during the day.
Grey squirrels and rabbits are active at daytime.squirrels will come into your garden and helpthemselves to food left on a bird table. youmight also find scrapes and small hollows duginto the pathways around the woods. esemight be made by Badgers, out hunting forgrubs, beetles and worms.
Wildlife ‘Corridors’some estimates of how much hedgerow wehave in ireland put the figure at over 400,000kilometres. at’s further than here to the moon!it accounts for about 1.5% of our land area, andthough hedges were originally planted as bound-aries to create fields for livestock and crops,they now have a vital function in supportingecosystems, especially those that have becomeisolated due to development of land throughfarming, drainage or building. ese hedgerowsform a delicate network of linear habitats thatprovide both places to live for smaller speciessuch as insects and birds, and also ‘corridors’for the safe movement of larger animals such asFoxes, Badgers and bats.
despite their rela-tively small size,and their locationamongst busyfarms, road net-works and on theedges of town andvillages, hedgerowshave often beenquietly maturingfor hundreds ofyears.
ere can be up to40 species of treeand shrub in a na-
tive irish hedgerow, including the common onessuch as Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Ash,Holly, Crab Apple and Bramble. ere may beover 100 wildflowers too, which is an astoundinglyrich amount for such a small area of wildness.
Common plants include Primrose, Wild rose,Cow Parsley, dog violet and Meadowsweet.Hedgerows are a precious resource and are pro-tected by law.
Wildlife
A potted history of the area
Bath Avenue & Lough Naglack- Biodiversity trAiL -
Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal DistrictCarrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District, Civic Offices,Riverside Road, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.
Telephone: (042) 9661236Email: [email protected]
Common sense rulesThe Trail itself is solid underfoot, and you will only need boots on a wet day.Please be very careful near the water and in particular, on the fishing stands.The water is deep in Lough Naglack. School trips should only visit the lake undersupervision. Please keep dogs on a lead and clean up after your pets. Do notlight fires or pick wildflowers. If you have anything suspicious to report, pleasecontact the council offices on the number shown here, or call the Gardaí on 999.Take nothing but photos; leave nothing but memories; kill nothing but time.
Thanks to Jimmy and Billy Scotson, Sean Farrelly, Denis O'Higgins, Nigel Monaghan and Mary Kelly-Quinn for help putting these posters together.
The huge skeleton of theGiant Irish Deer or ‘Irish Elk’,Megaloceros giganteus. Seethe original in the NaturalHistory Museum in Dublin.
Primroses; the classic Irish spring flower.
Ox-eye Daisy flower in the grassy areas.
A Froghopper nymph.
Meadow Brown butterfly.
Grey Squirrel. Coming to a garden near you!
A Rook. A member of the crow family,but not a Crow!
A Dor Beetle. You may see this guylumbering along the paths.
Meadowsweet with the tell-tale signs of ‘Cuckoo Spit’.
Phot
o by D
AVID
ILIFF
. Lice
nse:
CC-B
Y-SA
3.0
Design: www.thedrawingboard.ieUnless stated, images © Declan Kenny
WildlifePoster 1 of 3
Right: a young fox. If you want to catch a glimpse of wild animalssuch as foxes or badgers, you will need to get up very early indeed!
