Appliance of Science: 'Do Venus flytraps eat flies or melt them?'
I LOVE the way children see things from a completely different perspective. Take this question sent in by six year old Ted….
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THE ISLANDS OF IRELAND: Pleasure no matter what you call it
INISHEER; Inishere; Inis Oírr; Inis Oirthir; Inis Thiar. It’s no wonder Irish people get confused about the name of this utterly beautiful Co Galway island, let alone tourists. Maybe that’s part of the attraction. Well, nothing wrong with having five or more names.
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You never know who you’ll meet rafting down the river
IT WAS pleasant indeed to be rafting down the River Vltava in Bohemia in Czech Republic of a Sunday afternoon, so pleasant that some of us said that, one day, we’d paddle all the way to the Elbe and across Germany to the North Sea, writes Damien Enright
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Opposition to wind turbines on the rise
IT’S AN upland landscape that has inspired poets and traditional musicians for centuries, but it could soon be dominated by lofty wind turbines, writes Donal Hickey
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Ducks find new sanctuary in Spain’s Costas
IN the 1950s, new hotels sprang up along the Costa Brava, the “wild coast”. Sleepy little fishing towns became household names overnight, as hordes of package holiday-makers descended on them. The beaches still draw the crowds but visitors nowadays want more than sea and sand.
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Purple haze: The sight and smell of lavender is hard to beat
Peter Dowdall extols the virtues of lavender, which when in full bloom comes alive with the buzzing of bees and butterflies, and fills the air with an aroma which can’t truly be replicated.
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Botany Boy James Wong's tips on making your vegetables richer nutrients
Fiann Ó Nualláin meets best-selling author James Wong ahead of his ‘Grow-for-flavour’ seminars in Carlow.
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Elk are smarter than the average deer
The huge North American ‘elk’ is also known as the ‘wapiti’ (‘white rump’ in the Cree language).
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Blooming wonderful display around Ireland's country road hedgerows
It’s the time of year when everything is blooming. Wild plants in flower dress every rural lane in gay profusion, plants we never see at other times of year.
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Visiting summer birds engage in cruise control to sleep while flying
Did you know that some of our visiting summer birds engage in a form of cruise control and sleep while flying? Just one of the nuggets of information from readers following our piece last week on swallows, swifts and martins.
Watch: The earth-shattering island of myth off the coast of Clare
From the shore at Quilty in Co Clare, Mutton Island looks a flat, unappealing line. Great as a place to land if your boat is in trouble, but to visit there looks uninspiring.
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Up the garden path at the West Cork Garden Trail
Peter Dowdall says the West Cork Garden Trail offers inspiring examples of community work
Save our butterflies
Bees are not the only pollinators under threat, with butterfly populations falling worldwide, writes Fiann Ó Nualláin
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Some bright ideas for stunning summer bulbs
Dutch bulb experts share top tips for maintaining your garden. Hannah Stephenson reports
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When day of splendour becomes one of conflict with nature
FRIDAY, June 30, was an exceptional day here on the southwest coast, a day of clear, bright sunlight and gales, writes Damien Enright
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What's the difference between swallows, swifts and martins?
HAVING tried for years to work out exactly the differences between three quite similar migrant birds, I enlisted the help of BirdWatch Ireland, of late, writes Donal Hickey
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Echoes of pre-Famine times in Spanish countryside
WHAT wildlife would Don Quixote de la Mancha and Sancho Panza have encountered on their famous foray all those years ago, asks Richard Collins
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Colour co-ordinated plants liven up your garden
A strategic mix of colours, from purple and mauve to orange/yellow, livens up a garden, says Peter Dowdall
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Courgettes: The fruit that keeps on giving
Valerie O’Connor extols the virtues of courgettes, which she says are the fruit that just keeps on giving
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Beekeeping: When swarming causes losses in the trade
Mary O’Riordan writes on the travails of the beekeeper when swarming causes the loss of a hive of bees and a crop of honey
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Carlow Garden Festival has the perfect mix of experts and trailblazers
Fiann Ó Nualláin says the Carlow Garden Festival has something for all interests
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Inishtrahull Island: Emigrants last sight of the homes they were leaving
Inishtrahull Island, Malin Head, Co Donegal, the most northerly point of the country and the last
sign of Ireland that most who emigrated to America from Derry ever saw.
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The tale of the German, the donkeys and rural Namibia
I’ve just been writing a letter to a German painter whom I met on a long trip outdoors last February; some readers may recall my dispatches from Namibia and the Kalahari Desert, writes Damien Enright.
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Water rat beloved in literature actually a vole
The introduced animals were bred from wild ones captured in Scotland. A further 350 voles will be released later this year. To enhance genetic diversity, they will come from a different source population.
Fox is no lamb to the slaughter
While some people regard the fox as a pest and an unwanted predator, the animal can keep down the rabbit, mice, and rat populations.
Age-old potato blight battle
Fiann Ó Nualláin says prevention is key when fighting to keep spoiling spores at bay
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The bright dimension of garden colours
For bedding plant displays, when it comes to colour there is no right and wrong, writes Peter Dowdall
Zucchini flowers are nice and easy
Valerie O’Connor is at the start of the courgette glut and this week she foregoes the ubiquitous spiraliser in favour of chuny chips and delicious deep-fried flowers
Watch the incredible rescue of two elephants who were washed out to sea
This rescue dog is completely unrecognisable after being showered with love and attention
Watch: GAA stars take the hot seat with Mammies for brilliant Q&A session
This cart ride down a Canadian mountain is strangely but beautifully hypnotic
Patrice Evra says even grumpy people love his Monday videos, and he’s probably right
Michael Phelps attempted to outswim a shark, because racing humans is so yesterday
‘Our wonder boy had craniofacial op at four months’
‘I’m proud of being an Irish actor’ says Cillian Murphy
Irish short-story writer standing out from the crowd
The Irish writers banned in their own land 
How to make office wear work for you this summer
It pays to check your wage slip for your entitlements
Summer holiday tips for men- Watch: The earth-shattering island of myth off the coast of Clare
Hidden gems: The best things to do in CORK
Hidden gems: The best things to do in GALWAY
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All-New Renault Mégane Launches in Ireland - Pricing from €155 per month- All-New Renault Mégane Launches in Ireland - Pricing from €155 per month
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Finding inspiration on a quiet island in West Cork- SPORT
GAA Podcast: Páirc Nua, sweeping statements and Cork's dying sting
Clare mislay first principles in splendid Páirc Uí Chaoimh Nua- LIFESTYLE
David Lyttle is taking jazz back to America
Wife, mother, and maker of fine furniture