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Dick Warner

Medieval ‘science’ behind naming of weeds and their dubious medicinal purposes

Medieval ‘science’ behind naming of weeds and their dubious medicinal purposes

Long daylight hours, plenty of showers, warm soil, and the weeds in my garden have put on a spurt of growth. I have to mount an offensive, by hand and by hoe, to control them.

Mon, 04 Jul, 2016

Unusual arrival of dace

Unusual arrival of dace

I AM researching a project about Irish freshwater fish species. The other day I set off in search of dace. The dace has an interesting story in this country which is quoted in all the scientific papers and popular articles about them.

Mon, 27 Jun, 2016

Trialling times for cockchafer

Trialling times for cockchafer

I got an urgent summons: “There’s a monstrous insect on the couch in the dining room, some kind of beetle, will you do something about it?” 

Mon, 20 Jun, 2016

Otter numbers rising

Otter numbers rising

Recently I spent some time in and around the village of Corofin in Co Clare. The headwaters of the River Fergus flow through this area and form a maze of small and medium-sized lakes connected by river channels. 

Mon, 13 Jun, 2016

Fishing for rudd is pure bliss

Fishing for rudd is pure bliss

For the first time in a while I went fishing for rudd. On a sunny day in late spring I went to a small lake that had once been a gravel pit. Everything about the place and the day was so pleasant that I couldn’t understand why it was so long since I’d done this.

Mon, 06 Jun, 2016

Slugging it out in garden

Slugging it out in garden

Slugs are not popular animals, writes Dick Warner

Mon, 30 May, 2016

The notion that magpies steal shiny objects is ancient and widespread

The notion that magpies steal shiny objects is ancient and widespread

On a sunny evening recently my son and his housemates decided to have a barbecue in their back garden. 

Mon, 23 May, 2016

Swans are bluffers and can't actually hurt you

Swans are bluffers and can't actually hurt you

I’M NOT afraid of swans. I know they’re consummate bluffers and that although they put on a great show of aggression they can’t actually hurt you.

Mon, 16 May, 2016

Spirits lifted by cuckoo

ON a cold day at the end of April, I was out in my garden feeling mildly depressed, writes Dick Warner

Mon, 09 May, 2016

It's much cheaper and more satisfying to build your own insect hotel

It's much cheaper and more satisfying to build your own insect hotel

ECOLOGY is a relatively modern science, writes Dick Warner

Mon, 02 May, 2016