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IT’S THAT TIME of year again, when the leaves turn and start to fall from the all the trees in the forests, fields, parks and roadsides across the country.
But how well do you know the trees in your local area? Can you tell a beech from a birch? Or an ash from a rowan? Or a yew from a horse chestnut? (surely that last one…)
More specifically, can you recognise Ireland’s native trees? According to the Tree Council, Ireland has 28 native tree species. These are species that came to the island naturally thousands of years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age.
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People are often surprised to learn that some of our most common trees (like sycamore, beech and horse chestnut) aren’t actually native, and were introduced by humans at some stage.
So, let’s see if you know your oak from your oak.
1. Let's start with an easy one. This is one of Ireland's most well-known trees. You're likely to see its wood held in the hands of shouting men.
Birch (Beith Gheal)
Ash (Fuinseog)
Sessile oak (Dair ghaelach)
Yew (Iúr)
2. Don't eat the stone inside the berries or the leaves! They might just kill you.
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Scots Pine (Péine Albanach)
Holly (Cuileann)
Rowan (Caorthann)
Yew (Iúr)
3. This hardy tree is most recognisable by the colour of its trunk (which you can't see here).
Cormac Fitzgerald
Silver Birch (Beith gheal)
Sessile Oak (Dair ghaelach)
Alder (Fearnóg)
Elder (Tromán)
4. The nuts of this tree have a deep association with wisdom (and tastiness).
Alamy
Ash (Fuinseog)
Elder (Tromán)
Hazel (Coll)
Aspen (Crann creathach)
5. Think big goblets and lots of ice.
Alamy
Juniper (Aiteal)
Hawthorn (Sceach gheal)
Blackthorn/Sloe (Draighean)
Wild Cherry (Crann silín fiáin)
6. This tree was far more common when Ireland was colder, and before humans came to impact the environment.
Alamy
Yew (Iúr)
Wych Elm (Leamhán sléibe)
Hawthorn (Sceach Gheal)
Scots Pine (Péine Albanach)
7. If I stopped giving clues would you shake with fear, or would you weep?
Alamy
Aspen (Crann creathach)
Hazel (Coll)
Wych Elm (Leamhán sléibhe)
Willow (Saileach)
8. Last clue: You'll be seeing a lot these leaves around the place soon enough.
Rowan (Caorthann)
Holly (Cuileann)
Alder (Fearnóg)
Elder (Tromán)
9. Hmmmm.
Silver birch (Beith gheal)
Downy birch (Beith chlúmhach)
Pendunculate oak (Dair ghallda)
Sessile oak (Dair Ghaelach)
10. Hmmmmmmmmm.
Alamy
Pendunculate oak (Dair ghallda)
Holly (Cuileann)
Hazel (Coll)
Sessile oak (Dair ghaelach)
Answer all the questions to see your result!
Alamy
You scored out of !
Humans c.6,000 BC - Present Day
Thousands of years of human intervention and a lack of understanding has destroyed the vast, vast majority of our native trees.
*Update: The images for Questions 9 and 10 have been edited to give a better picture of the leaves, and 7 has been changed.
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25 Comments
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And we’ve the worst tree coverage in the EU and hardly any coherent plan atall to remedy that situation, despite hectares and hectares worth of people eager to be lead in the right direction. Ireland should be a paradise.
@Louis Jacob: How can you use land to plant trees, when you have thousands of people coming into the country every year, they will need that land for houses, roads, shopping centres etc lots of concrete. In fact, they will need to cut a few trees down I reckon. Maybe that’s why the Government want farmers to cull their farting cows under the guise of emissions, so that in the future they can take the land.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: yeah well I know my trees well and it was a tricky one. I normally identify pedunculate oak leaves by the twin peduncles at the base of the leaf but the close up did not show that. Yes the pedunculate leaf is a bit broader and less pointed but from that close up very difficult to tell.
Louis Jacob,
Things are not QUITE as bad.
Phys org have an excellent article on trees not counted/calculated.
Search for hidden trees Europe to get to the article.
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