SCARCELY a week passes without news of yet another invasive species, plant or animal, reaching our shores.

"Looking through a porthole at the sea, we are surrounded on all sides by vast horizons. No one would believe the wonders and beauty that lie below in the colossal Whittard Canyon.’’

RECENTLY, for the umpteenth time, RTÉ again screened the David Lean epic, Ryan’s Daughter, filmed in the Dingle Peninsula, in 1969/’70.

THERE are regular warnings from wild deer organisations that Ireland’s deer population is declining. However, we also hear the opposite story from farmers, road users and other observers — that deer are becoming quite numerous and are now seen in areas where they have never previously been.

MANY of us will take the opportunity this bank holiday weekend to get out and enjoy Ireland in bloom, for we are now in probably the premium time of year for viewing the wonders of nature.

PEOPLE who grow potatoes are proudly taking note these days as strong stalks signal a healthy crop of "earlies’’.

THIRTY per cent of food purchased by households in Ireland is wasted, so we need new methods of its disposal.

EXPERTS tell us Ireland has the best ocean wind and wave power in Europe, so why then are developers pressing ahead with controversial wind farms on land? A mindset objecting to turbines and overland pylons — similar to the public mood opposing dumps in the past — is growing, with communities up in arms around the country.

A RIVER flowing through a town should, you might expect, be seen as an advantage — not only for its beauty and environmental value, but also for very practical reasons.

IT’S the time of year when the rhododendron blooms, standing out from most other plants in all its deep red, purple and cerise splendour. The rhodo looks magnificent and little wonder that it get a mention in romantic songs. However, the wild rhodo is in a category of plants with a bad name: “invasive species’’ that were brought into the country.