Naturefile

Naturefile returns to Daybreak with a seasonal look at these beauties now appearing in our gardens.

A winter migrant from high-Arctic Canada. Most occur in Ireland between October and April. This population winters almost entirely in Ireland, with small numbers in parts of Britain and France.

Many people are surprised to hear that hedgehogs are not actually native to Ireland. It is believed that they were introduced in the 12th century from Britain ...

Ivy flowers in October, ensuring vital nectar supplies for butterflies, moths and bees when very little else is in flower. Ivy is a wonderful world of sustenance to lots of wildlife through winter months.

The term ‘Hairy Molly’ has often been used in Ireland to describe any hairy or fuzzy-looking caterpillar.  This term is said to have originated from the Irish language where ‘mala’ or ‘malaí’ (plural) is the Irish word for an eyebrow.

A close rival songster to the Blackbird, from which it mainly differs in its repetition of each phrase three or four times. Typical phrases include "cherry dew," and "knee-deep," . Loud, fluty and far-carrying.

Crane flies are flies in the family Tipulidae. They are insects. Crane flies look similar to large mosquitoes but, unlike mosquitoes, crane flies do not bite.

Grey Seals haul themselves ashore in autumn to breed, on remote and generally undisturbed areas, in particular offshore islands, where human disturbance is absent. Trá Bán on the Great Blasket Island is one back where hundreds of seals can still be seen on the beach in autumn

Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses

A species of falcon. A small bird of prey with long, relatively narrow wings and tail. Has a short, hooked bill for eating meat.