March on with a spring in your step
MARCH, with its unpredictable weather, offers great opportunities to see and appreciate our natural world.
Spring grabs the attention of all our senses - vivid green of newly unfurling leaves, strong yellows of flowers (Hazel Catkins, Lesser Celandines, Dandelions) to draw our eye, texture of rough bark and softness of moss underfoot, taste of wild garlic or sharpness of wild sorrel, the scent of nearly turned earth or the vanilla smell of Winter Helitrope and sound of bird song. For most wildlife, Spring is the season for mating and breeding often with flamboyant displays of courtship.
Buzzards, in early March, perform wonderful displays of aerobatics, swooping and diving in a ‘sky dance’ display. They will go around and around ‘dancing’ across the sky. When you see a pair of buzzards performing aerial summersaults it means they will soon nest nearby. Later in the summer (May/June) you will hear their harsh shrieks as they teach their young fledglings to fly and hunt. In Castlemagner parish we have recorded nesting Buzzards. Buzzards are monogamous and once mated will get to repeat their sky dance every Spring with their same partner for life.
‘As mad as a March hare’ is a relatively kindly term used to describe someone who is crazy or particularly eccentric. The idea of a ‘Mad March Hare’ comes from the hare behaviour, most likely to be seen during mating season in the month of March which includes boxing matches where both hares stand on their hind legs and use their front legs like arms to throw punches. The brawling pair are often surrounded by a circle of other hares. The boxing match is commonly thought to be two males battling for the attention of a female but is more likely a female fighting off the unwanted advances of a male.
The Irish Hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) unlike its cousin the rabbit, is native to Ireland and is arguably our oldest surviving Irish mammal. It is genetically different to the mountain hare, which is native to Scotland. The Irish hare is now known to have been present in Ireland since before the last ice age and there is a compelling argument to support its classification as a species in its own right.
Hares being such an ancient animal play a rich part in folklore and once graced our pre-decimal three-pence coin. Animals/birds were deemed too bucolic for the new decimal system. What a shame in our attempt to be modern we so easily turned our back on our roots and culture.
In recent years the population of hares in our locality has multiplied. Last summer, on a particularly hot day while painting a gate with a pair of lazy dogs lying in the shade keeping me company, I noticed two hares just yards from the ‘ hunting’ dogs. The dogs dozed; the hares watched, safe in the knowledge neither the dogs nor I posed the slightest threat! Hares can run at a speed of 45 miles per hour when evading predators who are mainly foxes, stoats and birds of prey such as Buzzards.
Hares are associated in Irish mythology and folklore with witchcraft and fairy women where women can change into hares to elude danger. One of the most well-known stories is of Oisin, when out hunting, wounded a hare in the leg. He followed it to an underground palace where he found a beautiful young lady who sat on a throne bleeding from her leg.
Unfortunately, hares (and rabbits) in Ireland may now face a greater danger that could mean their numbers would be severely decimated by a deadly virus called Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD). It was first identified in Ireland in 2018 and is known to be in eleven counties including Cork.
The public – particularly landowners, farmers, and vets – are being asked to be on high alert and to report any suspected sightings of diseased rabbits and hares as soon as possible to help efforts to monitor and control the disease. This can be done by contacting the NPWS by Email (nature. conservation@chg.gov.ie.) or Phone (1890 383 000).
Hazel Catkins are now coming out on bare branches, dangling and swaying in the cold breeze as a promise of warmer day to come. In Ireland we only have three trees that bear edible nuts - Hazelnut (Corylus avellane), Sweet Chestnut (Castanae sativa), not to be confused with the Horse Chestnut, and Walnut (Juglans regina). I am aware of only a handful of Sweet Chestnuts and Walnut trees in the parish. However, there are plenty of Hazel trees. Unlike the other two, Hazel is native and is found in both woodlands and hedgerows. Humans have enjoyed its fruits since prehistoric times and the nuts were once a valuable form of protein, often mixed with other grain to make a type of porridge or used to make bread.
Early Ireland had very complex and strict laws regarding the treatment of not only people but water, animals, trees, bees, and more. This ancient law is known as Brehon Law. Even today, Brehon Law is still very much evident in our culture influencing areas such as hospitality. The Brehons held trees in high regard and classified them into four subgroups- The Nobles of the Woods (Oak, Ash, Hazel, Holly, Crab Apple, Yew and Scots Pine), The Commoners (Alder, Birch, Elm, Rowan, Willow, Haw thorn), Lower Division of the Woods (Spindle, Arbutus,Aspen, White Beam) and Bush (Bracken, Heather, Broom, Wild Rose and Briar).
Such was the value that was placed on the Nobles of the Wood that if a person was found to cause damage to a tree the fine imposed was two and a half cows (i.e. two milch cows and a heifer). It seems the Brehons had a much greater grasp of the value and balance of nature than present day society. Note this fine was for damage to a tree. To cut a noble tree down was treated as a heinous crime.
Hazel is monoecious, meaning that both male and female flowers are found on the same tree. The male flowers are encased in yellow catkins which appear before the leaves and hang in clusters from mid-February. Female flowers are tiny and bud-like with red styles. The Hazel is a wind pollinated plant and the pollen is blown from the male catkins to the female flowers.
Once pollinated by wind, the female flowers develop into oval fruits with a wooden shell surrounded by a cup. The Hazel provides pollen for early emerging insects, supports a lichen rich community and in Autumn provides nuts for squirrels, birds and mice. Once the golden display of catkins is over the Hazel becomes almost inconspicuous and is more difficult to identify.
Enjoy your walk and while there is no guarantee you will get to see ‘Mad’ Hares or summersaulting Buzzards you will certainly get to enjoy catkins, spring blossoms and hear bird song.