Two botanical anniversaries occur in 2019. Twenty-five years ago David Noble, a New South Wales wildlife officer, abseiled into an unexplored gorge in the Blue Mountains and discovered trees from the age of the dinosaurs.

A return visit is often much more informative than an initial foray. And Clare Island in Co Mayo is a place that demands repeated visits.

IN 1752, the Emperor Joseph II opened the royal menagerie to the citizens of Vienna.