Where plankton fits in the Earth’s ecosystem
Organism gives sea its distinctive smell and promotes creation of clouds, thereby playing a significant role in global climate
Nature
Articles related to nature
‘This keeps me awake at night’: How will Ireland’s climate worsen over the next 20 years?
The speed of decline in the ocean current system known as Amoc will determine whether Ireland can adapt or face catastrophic impacts
Mushroom hunting in Ireland: You really need to know what you’re doing
To the committed fungus hunter, mushrooms bought with money will always be worthless or, at least, worth less than those captured in the wild
Unique insects aren’t in the Burren for the scenery - but add another resplendent layer to an astonishing part of Ireland
The Burren is home to 27 species of moths and butterflies found nowhere else in the country, along with all of our rarest butterflies and half our rarest moths
These might look like storybook mushrooms. But there’ll be no happily-ever-after if you eat them
Éanna Ní Lamhna on a dead 6ft leatherback turtle, a red garden spider, and the flowering lives of dandelions
The concept of the alpha male human is cultural, not biological
Elon Musk should know that human social structures are more fluid than even the most complex of animal hierarchies
Disasters being supercharged by man-made climate change with no country spared, UN chief tells Cop29
2024 was ‘masterclass in climate destruction’, António Guterres tells global leaders
Cop29′s chief negotiator hails early win on carbon trading as last part of Paris pact is ratified
Carbon credits predicted to enable big increase in climate spending but critics says backdoor deal was rushed and undermines UN climate process
Explainer: Why Cop29 matters to you, Ireland and the world despite Trump ‘whiplash’
World’s performance on emissions and temperature summarised in three words: ‘over the limit’
Why did a fox come into my garden and steal 40 standard golf balls, but leave a bunch of plastic ones?
Éanna Ní Lamhna on a garden thief, the darter dragonfly, and – cough, cough – rook pellets
Once feared extinct in Ireland, the secretive nightjar calls again
The confirmation revives the question of whether nightjars could have a more hopeful future in Ireland than previously believed
The Place of Tides by James Rebanks: A tender and open-hearted account of life on a tiny Norwegian island
The author’s sensitive writing quietly captures nature’s exquisiteness and captivates the human heart
Laura Kennedy: Australians respond differently to nature compared to Irish people
I awoke early one morning in Canberra to a bizarre sound. What the actual f**k is that, I thought, a pterodactyl? It was a magpie, but not like the ones I’d known
New standard backed by Amazon’s climate fund may help restore peatlands
Certification to help farmers and landowners prove benefits of bog restoration projects and attract investment
UN biodiversity summit comes to abrupt end as deal on global nature fund falls through
‘This is a delay we can’t afford as we see alarming evidence on a weekly basis the Earth is moving towards dangerous environmental tipping points’, said Grace Carr of Irish Wildlife Trust
What is this hairy creature I found clinging to a jumper on my washing line?
Eanna Ní Lamhna addresses your notes and queries, and explains how badgers could help save potatoes
State to buy Clawinch Island on Lough Ree to protect breeding waterbirds
Farmers praised for sympathetic agricultural practices that protect waders
Frustration at failure to deliver funding surfaces at UN biodiversity summit as talks go into final hours
Governments still need to protect an area of land equivalent to combined size of Brazil and Australia
Killarney National Park’s 60th birthday: A time for deep reflection and radical reform
‘Our parks must have nature at the forefront of their concerns’
Malcolm Noonan tells Cop16 Ireland making progress in ending biodiversity loss
Finance to protect some of the world’s most important ecosystems remains main block to progress at global gathering
Éanna Ní Lamhna: ‘In 1970 we had twice as much biodiversity as we have now. Twice as much: 90 per cent of our curlews are gone’
The wildlife expert on her new book of Irish biodiversity, staying hopeful, and why dandelions are better than daffodils
An otter spotter’s paradise in Co Donegal
Éanna Ní Lamhna on the limitations of Google, the kestrel’s talent for spotting mouse pee, and a very large caterpillar
Autumn leaf displays have not been as vibrant this year. There’s a good reason for that
Deciduous trees and shrubs are paragons of good planning and preparedness
Grey squirrels don’t hibernate and they’d be nuts to eat conkers
Eanna Ní Lamhna debunks a squirrel myth, confirms there are no toads in Malahide and identifies an old Donegal coral
Why is this slug looking particularly sluggish?
Éanna Ní Lamhna on a worse-for-wear black slug, a case of mistaken ID, and the sparrowhawk’s hunting regimen
Co-ordinated action on biodiversity loss can help reduce risk of ‘ecosystem collapse’, climate council says
Greater focus needed on biodiversity conservation and restoration in the fight against climate change
What are these these pretty seeds I recently came across
Éanna Ní Lamhna on white-tailed bumblebees, red latticed stinkhorns and – more stink – green shield bugs
What is this paint-splashed butterfly?
Éanna Ní Lamhna on mating white-tailed bumblebees, going bananas, and an unusually beautiful insect
Dublin woman ‘absolutely shocked’ to be a winner in Flickr annual photography contest
Deirdre Irwin won the ‘wildlife and its habitats’ category for her photograph of a Dalmatian pelican, taken in Greece
Why this crab must be a mating super stud
Éanna Ní Lamhna on a rare glossy long-legged spider, the declining yellowhammer and the common earwig
Starlings’ unmissable performances mesmerise on dark winter days
About three million starlings breed in Ireland yearly, joined in winter by visitors from all over Europe
There have only been seven Irish records of this huge moth, the last in 1997
Éanna Ní Lamhna on the oleander moth, a fine feather and a fish that could bite a finger off
Autumn has a visceral effect on me. Turning seasons take us back to places that made us happy or unhappy
The oncoming darkness and brightness of the season represents our freedom, always returning, like every autumn
Can you identify this little creature?
Eanna Ní Lamhna on field mice, voles, caterpillars, sparrowhawks and more
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