Nature's Web Newsletter

Nature’sWeb Issue No. 60 Winter 2020 The National Monuments INSIDE Service's underwater archaeologist Connie THIS ISSUE... Kelleher examining one ?? of the bronze guns recovered from the 1588 Spanish Armada Editor’s Page wreck of “La Juliana” in Co. Sligo. Black John the Bogus Pirate: The Invisible Universe Japanese Knotweed The Waxwing Colour In: The Big Dig All in a Day’s Work: Connie Kelleher, Underwater Archaeologist Activity Page: Make a Ship’s Chest Narky the Whale Wrecks & Marine Life Wreck Inventory of Ireland The World Around Us HHIDDENIDDEN Fun Page Learn More Winter Wordsearch HHERITAGEERITAGE Nature’s Noticeboard Image courtesy of Karl Brady, National Monuments Service © 2020 Sherkin Island Marine Station & its licensors. All rights reserved. www.naturesweb.ie 1 Editor’s Page Wrecks in Welcome to the Winter Edition of County Cork Nature’s Web! n this issue, we’re looking at the Dear Reader, archaeology of wrecks and the National MonumentsI Service's (NMS) free online Welcome to Wreck Viewer. With Cork having the second the Winter longest coastline in Ireland, it has a long 2020 issue of Nature’s Web. history of maritime activity and its fair share Mould Pochin Daphne / Station Marine Island Sherkin of courtesy Image In this issue we feature wrecks and those who of shipwrecks. The NMS has over 3,000 The West Calf Island in Roaringwater Bay wrecks recorded off the coast of Co. Cork, where the passenger and cargo ship the document this part of our with those with a known location shown in “Stephen Whitney” struck the rocks in 1847. island’s heritage. Connie the Wreck Viewer. These include the remains Kelleher, from the of the 1797 French frigate La Surveillante in Bantry Bay; the 1916 gun-running ship the AUD and the Underwater Archaeology 1917 German mine-laying submarine UC-42, both just outside Cork Harbour; and the ocean liner RMS Unit at the National Lusitania, lost 11.5 nautical miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in the year 1915. Monuments Service, tells us In Roaringwater Bay and Long Island Bay, there are a number of wrecks, including the Stephen all about her work on wrecks Whitney, a 1,034 tonne ship, which was travelling from New York to Liverpool, carrying 76 passengers, and Paul Kay explains what a crew of 34 and a cargo of cotton, corn, cheese, flour and clocks. On 18th October, 1847, as it neared marine life likes to live on Mizen Head, a thick fog set in. The signal light on Cape Clear, which was used at the time to let ships them. Invasive species can know their location, was not visible. Unfortunately, the crew mistook the lights at Crookhaven for the be a real problem in some Old Head of Kinsale, resulting in the ship striking the western Calf Island. Sadly, 92 people died in the areas and one of the most tragedy. This tragedy led to the Cape Clear warning light being replaced by the Fastnet Lighthouse. troublesome is the Japanese Knotweed. Cork County AS GAEILGE! We are delighted to have teamed up with An Gúm, who are translating Nature’s Web Council’s Heritage Service into Irish. Issues are now available, as gaeilge, at: explains what the plant is http://www.gaeilge.ie/maidir-le-foras-na-gaeilge/an-gum/lion-dulra/ like and what you should and should not do with regard to it. Barrie Dale introduces Narky the Whale Roast Haddock with Champ and when you read the poem you will know why he What to do: is so unhappy! Check out nature news from Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. around the world on page 12 Arrange the haddock fillets on a non-stick and enjoy a giggle with jokes baking sheet and season, then drizzle over on page 13. the olive oil. We would love to hear your Photo courtesy of www.bordbia.ie www.bordbia.ie of courtesy Photo Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until views and comments and cooked through and tender. This will depend suggestions for future on the thickness of the fillets. articles. Have a good read! Toss the tomatoes in a little olive oil and roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Melt the Susan butter in a small pan and gently sauté the Email: [email protected] What you need: scallions until softened. Pour in the milk and Web: www.naturesweb.ie bring to a simmer. Editor: Susan Murphy Wickens • 4 x 175g skinless and • 4 scallions, finely Mash the potatoes and then using a wooden Layout and Design: boneless haddock fillets chopped spoon, beat in the scallion and milk mixture Susan Murphy Wickens Photographs & Clipart: • salt and freshly ground • 6 tablesp. milk until you have achieved smooth, creamy mash. Season to taste. Copyright © 2020 Sherkin Island white pepper • 900g freshly cooked Marine Station & its licensors. • 1 tablesp. olive oil floury potatoes, cut into Divide the champ among warmed plates and arrange a piece of roasted haddock on each All rights reserved. • Cherry tomatoes on the even-sized chunks one to serve. Foreign Correspondent: vine Michael Ludwig • 25g butter © Sherkin Island Brought to you by Bord Bia www.bordbia.ie Marine Station 2020 © 2020 Sherkin Island Marine Station & its licensors. All rights reserved. www.naturesweb.ie Winter 2020 22 Black John - the Bogus Pirate The Invisible Universe Joyce John copyright text & Images By John Joyce Avast there, Mateys! We must be thankful for every drop of water in the ocean. Let me explain why…. here’s an ‘invisible universe’ of for us to breathe so marine plants, such of marine cyanobacteria, which contains plants and animals, which live in as phytoplankton and seaweeds, remove the green pigment chlorophyll. Like land everyT drop of seawater. Microscopic carbon dioxide from seawater and create plants, it is capable of absorbing carbon marine plants called ‘phytoplankton’, oxygen for marine animals. In fact, it has dioxide and releasing oxygen using each consisting of only one living cell are been estimated that around half of all energy from the Sun by a process called responsible for an estimated fifty to the oxygen created by terrestrial and ‘photosynthesis’. Prochlorococcus is so eighty five percent of all the oxygen aquatic plants on planet Earth comes small that millions of its tiny cells can fit produced across the globe. Yet from tiny marine phytoplankton – inside a drop of water. But this species phytoplankton are so small as to be enough, quite literally, for ‘every second alone is so abundant in the Ocean that it invisible to the human eye except when breath’ that we take! The remainder produces around twenty percent of the really favourable circumstances, caused comes from the larger seaweeds such as oxygen we breathe. In fact, the total by increased nutrients and sunlight, kelp, from the rain forests and other amount of ALL phytoplankton in the allow them to grow and multiply by terrestrial plants. Ocean at any one time has been the million. This increased growth estimated at over a BILLION tonnes, with Just like land plants, phytoplankton need creates ‘algal blooms’ or ‘Red Tides’, forty five billion tonnes created and sunlight to grow and reproduce. This so called because the sheer number of dying over the course of a year. means they can only thrive in the upper phytoplankton cells in the water causes layers of the Ocean down to around 250 So take a deep breath . and thank the Sea to change colour. metres, where light can penetrate. the Ocean for every second breath Just as land plants provide the vital that you take! The most active of the 5,000 known species ecological service of removing carbon of phytoplankton is Prochlorococcus, a type dioxide from the air and creating oxygen ? ? ? ? Follow Black John the Bogus Pirate and his crew on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BlackJohntheBogusPirate/ © 2020 Sherkin Island Marine Station & its licensors. All rights reserved. www.naturesweb.ie Winter 2020 33 Invasive Alien Species Plant Life Invasive alien species are animals and plants that are introduced accidentally or deliberately into the wild where they are not normally found, and which have adverse impacts on the Japanese Knotweed environment, usually by out competing native species for natural resources. What should you do if you find Japanese knotweed? If you do find Japanese knotweed on your property, the most important thing that you can do is Japanese knotweed in flower. Image courtesy of Robbie Murphy Murphy of Robbie courtesy Image prevent any further spread of the species. In fact, it is against the Scientific Name: Fallopia japonica Irish Name: Gliúneach bhiorach law to plant, disperse, allow dispersal or cause the spread of apanese knotweed is classified as one of the top 100 worst invasive species Japanese knotweed. Do not strim, J worldwide and is one of the most problematic invasive alien species in Ireland. cut, flail or chip the plants as tiny It is very common and widely distributed across a variety of habitat types in fragments can regenerate new Ireland and is most prominent on roadsides, waste ground and in wetland habitats plants and make the problem where it out competes native species and forms dense thickets. even more difficult Japanese knotweed is native to Japan, China, and parts of Korea and Taiwan. It is to manage. It is also not as problematic in those countries as it has natural enemies that keep it under advised not to dig, control. Introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant in the 19th century, it move or dump soil quickly established wild populations. which may contain plant material as How do you recognise it? this may contribute to its spread.

Load more