Peter Dowdall: Why our hedgerows are Ireland's rainforests

Hedgerows maintain a rich and biodiverse ecosystem

I forever find myself espousing the values of our hedgerows to anyone who will listen to me and once more this year, I am in awe at the beauty and life that lies within. They are often referred to as “Ireland’s rainforests” such is their importance in maintaining a rich and biodiverse ecosystem. Birds and mammals nest and feed in them, pollinating insects rely on them for survival and so many trees, shrubs and perennials establish themselves within these hedgerows.

Earlier in the year, the willows and alders were festooned with catkins dripping with pollen and then more life, with the colour of hawthorns and blackthorns, followed by roadsides filled with cow parsley, ox-eye daisies and other early summer bloomers.