My pals and I recently came upon this colourful chap/chapette while chatting by the waterside on the very pleasant grounds of Kilkea Castle, Co Kildare. Despite being of a mature age, none of us could identify it. We would be grateful if you could enlighten us. Edel Joyce
A chapette is a cover to protect horse-riding boots. This is an insect, a hawthorn shield bug that has wakened up from its overwintering state. It feeds on hazel leaves, which it first covers with a horrible-smelling scent to prevent other creatures eating them, hence its other name: stink bug. Males and females look exactly the same.
I found this purple orchid atop Cappanawalla Mountain near Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, on April 5th It’s the first time I’ve seen an orchid bloom so early in spring. It’s sheltered by a stone wall but otherwise was quite solitary. Frank Russell
It is the early purple orchid, which is supposed to flower from April to June. The flowers are alleged to smell of cat’s pee. That noted Clare man Brian Merriman described it as being an aphrodisiac in his poem Cúirt an Mheán Oiche. Men would beget sons if they ate the largest roots, while women would bring forth daughters after eating the smallest ones. Merriman was patently not a scientist.
These bees are living in holes on my lawn. They are small and look like bumblebees. They leave mounds of soil with a hole in each. What are they? Ned Kelly
They are mining bees, of which we have 26 different species. They are solitary bees – not social bees with a queen to protect – so they have no sting. Males and females are on the wing now and feeding themselves on flower nectar. After mating, the female will dig out a burrow in sandy soil, pulling the soil backwards with her forelegs and scattering it around the entrance. She provisions a cell at the bottom of the tunnel with a ball of honey and pollen, lays an egg on top and seals the cell. There may be several cells in each tunnel and indeed several tunnels in the light sandy soil of your lawn. Lay off mowing it now and see what flowers will appear with nectar for the emerging bees in May.
Could you please identify this little one? It was sunbathing on the pond. I haven’t seen them in water before. Is it a lizard? Eileen Dennison, Carrigart, Co Donegal
Yes, it is our only native species of lizard – Lacerta vivipara, the common lizard. It is well able to swim and enters the water to catch prey such as floating insects. It can also dive underwater to hide from a predator and can stay submerged for five minutes or more. Males emerge from hibernation first, the females having a lie-on for a few further weeks before venturing forth.
Up to 15 of these little birds landed to taste new grass seed in Eve and Poppy Campbell’s new lawn at Malahide. Are they yellowhammers? We think so. Andrew Blair
They are indeed. Even in this blurry picture there is no mistaking the bright yellow heads of the males in breeding plumage. Females have duller-coloured head feathers. They are seed-eating birds, hence the assault on the lawn seed. Their numbers have dramatically contracted since the 1970s due to land-use change and a reduction in the amount of land under tillage. This species is red-listed, according to Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland 2020-2026 and is of high conservation value as a result. So lawns can have some wildlife value, I suppose.
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