Naturefile

Have you ever wondered what makes those little balls of froth, popularly known as “cuckoo spit”, that you find on plant stems during the summer? Blow gently on the froth and you’ll find your answer. Inside the frothy mass you’ll find one or more yellow-green insect nymphs

Ireland’s shieldbugs and other related bugs are members of the Order Hemiptera which includes aphids and planthoppers.

The peregrine falcon is Ireland's most impressive bird of prey and the fastest animal on earth, capable of diving at speeds exceeding 300 km/h to hunt mid-air.

This is a fleshy, dark green perennial which grows in large clumps in coastal habitats such as shingle, salt-marsh margins, old sea walls and grasslands.

The Golden Plover is a summer visitor from France and Iberia and a winter visitor from Iceland. They often feed alongside Lapwing and Black-headed Gulls.

Primroses were prized plants for those in Ireland who brewed their own cures and concoctions in days gone by. Primroses were widely used as remedies for muscular aches and pains, rheumatism, paralysis and gout.

The common chiffchaff, or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic.

From garden snails to rare woodland snails and tincy tiny sand dune specialists, Ireland is a haven for snails. Integral to almost every food web, though often overlooked, this week's Nature File looks at the role of snails in our hedges, woods, fens and fields.

Once a pair of pipits have gone to the trouble of making a nest and laying their perfect eggs therein, along comes cuckoo to lay her own little troublemaker in among the pipit eggs. Explore the ecology and the folklore of Meadow Pipits in this week’s Nature File.

Nature File returns to the airwaves this week, celebrating the blossoming of woodland wildflowers. White flowered wood-sorrel and wood anemone; glistening yellow lesser celandine and of course, violet coloured violets and bluebells, all making the most of April.

Spiders found in Ireland include 583 unique species.

A medium sized raptor (bird of prey) with broad wings, a compact body, short neck and medium-length tail. Has a short hooked bill suitable for eating meat.

Wild salmon are born in freshwater, travel to the sea, and then return to their birthplace to spawn, making them a clear sign of how well we’re managing to coexist with other life.

Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills.

The conger is an ambush type predator seeking out cover in which to hide and then pounce on passing victims, though it will roam around openly on occasions to flush prey fish. Is found living in rocky holes underneath breakwaters, harbour walls, groynes and sewer outlets

These are small trees, quite unusual in the wild, and many imported specimens have been planted in towns and parks, along roads etc. If you want the truly native tree you may have to search – it is most common in the south of the country.

As apex predators Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. They regulate fish populations and ensure the health of coral reefs and seabeds. In Ireland, sharks have a special connection to coastal communities, which have relied on the ocean for generations.

Sea are a group of  p redatory marine invertebrates constituting the order  Actiniaria . Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the  anemone  a terrestrial flowering plant.

Ringlet and Meadow brown butterflies are on the wing through high summer, filling up with nectar in flower rich meadows and finding the perfect places there for their larvae too. Explore the summertime highs of brown butterflies on this weeks Nature File.

Creamy,  perennial  of damp waysides, meadows,  marsh es and woods, this tall, hairless plant flowers throughout Ireland from June to September.

The Goshawk is a large hawk, almost reaching buzzard size. When seen up close, it has a fierce look with bright red eyes and a distinctive white eyebrow. Thanks to its broad wings, it can to hunt at high speed, weaving in and out of trees, while its legs and talons can catch its prey in flight.

Nymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate and tropical climates around the world.

Our smallest breeding Hirundine species, being about a third smaller than both House Martin and Swallow. Adult Sand Martins have a brown head, back, rump and wings. The throat is white, as are the belly and vent except for a broad brown breast band.

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.