A number of readers have been in contact regarding the large amount of berries on holly trees noticeable throughout the autumn, writes Donal Hickey

This is a good time to look out for squirrels, which are busy storing up food for the winter, writes Donal Hickey. 

THE build-up to Halloween seems to be starting earlier each year and bats, more than any other animal, have come to symbolise this ancient pagan festival. Bats are being used to create a creepy, macabre, and ghostly atmosphere. Be not afraid, however. It’s mostly mythology.

Life must surely be worth living for anyone that opens their eyes to the beauty all around us. And, often, we don’t have far to go, writes Donal Hickey.

For tree-lovers, autumn is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year when foliage changes into a rich mixture of brown, red, yellow, orange and gold.

It may sound like a tall order, but the solution to rows about ocean-based fish farms could well be up in the sky. 

The sight of hundreds of dead fish, killed by pollution, has always angered us. Caused by human activity, it shows contempt for water, wildlife, and amenities used by the public, writes Donal Hickey. 

The blackberry is very much part of folk and rural traditions, writes Donal Hickey

ONE of the many ironies of Irish life is that most people — 97%, according to an EU Commission survey — agree we have a responsibility to protect nature. 

WE’RE told the future of the planet depends on food production being in harmony with nature and the environment as well as on new ways of generating energy and reducing waste, writes Donal Hickey