©Peter Birch via Flickr ©Holly Kentish Plover via Flickr ©Michael John O’Mahony ©Thomas B. via Pixabay Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3 Picture 4 ©Alexas Fotos via Pixabay © Michael John O’Mahony Can you name these Irish Plants and Animals? Try our interactive quiz on these species here • Picture 1 • Picture 2 • Picture 3 • Picture 4 • Picture 5 Picture 5 Picture 6 • Picture 6 2C4 Description Habitat found Sessile Oak The traditional Irish oak species is The There are small remnant Oak woods in most Sessile Oak; one of two native Oaks. There counties. Sessile Oak is found more Common Name: (Sessile) Oak Tree are three key ways to recognise the Sessile commonly on poor acid soils, in hilly regions. Oak: 1) it has acorns on short or no stalks, 2) It is the main species to be found in the leaf outline is only lightly grooved, and 3) Ireland’s most familiar woodlands, e.g. Irish Name: Dair ghaelach leaves are borne on long stalks. In contrast Killarney. Native Oaks are an important the other one, the Pedunculate Oak, has habitat for hundreds of insects and many Scientific Name: Quercus petraea acorns which grow on long stalks and has birds and mammals. Oak trees can grow to deeply grooved leaves on very short stalks. 40m tall, and can live for over 1,000 years! Oak trees are deciduous – Oak trees start to this means they drop their grow new shoots and leaves in Autumn and Winter. leaves in Spring when This allows them time to rest they get energy from during a period when there is the extra sunlight at very little energy available this time of year Image by Peter Birch via Flickr.com from the sun. Flower: May Fruit: October Tiny flowers grow in late Acorns will form in the Life Spring; male flowers appear Did you know? summer. These will grow big as dangling catkins; female Image by Peter Birch via Flickr.com Oak Trees also rely on animals such as and fat and eventually fall Cycle flowers occur in stiff Squirrels and Jackdaws to spread acorns off the tree naturally by reddish stalk-less clusters. far away from the parent tree. Animals the end of Autumn, if not Each tree will have both Fun Facts! do this accidentally! For example when a taken by an animal before male and female flowers. then. One in every five town-land names in squirrel has eaten its fill, it will then Ireland refers to a tree! And more collect extra acorns, and bury them in the ground for later or for fear that The male flowers spread than 10% of these have some link to food will be scarce in the winter. If the their pollen using the wind - the word ‘dair’, the Irish word for oak. winter is mild, or the animal is forgetful, when a female flower Eg. Cill Dara, the Irish for Kildare and can’t remember the storage place, receives pollen it can then means ‘Church of the Oak’. Can you produce seeds. Oak tree the acorns get left in the ground. They think of any others? then become new Oak Trees in Spring! seeds are called ‘Acorns’. 2C4 Sessile Oak Draw Sessile Oak leaves: Image by Peter Birch via Flickr.com In Winter Acorns will fall to the ground, or be Draw acorns on the trees in Autumn. carried away from the In Spring Oak trees Can you see any animals trying to eat them? tree by hungry animals grow their branches such as squirrels or a little longer. Acorns jackdaws from last year will also sprout and turn into new trees. Life By Autumn the mammy flowers, which have got Cycle pollen from the In early Summer the daddy flowers, trees make mammy will turn into flowers and daddy chunky seeds flowers. Pollen is carried called Acorns. on the wind from daddy flowers and can land on mammy flowers on other Oaks far away. 2C1 Description Habitat found Holly This is a well-known small tree. The This small native tree is widespread in evergreen, glossy leaves are spikey and stiff; woodlands and hedgerows throughout Ireland. the upper side is darker green than the It forms the shrub layer in some of our oldest Common Name: Holly lower side. It has small white flowers (6- woodlands. The Holly leaves are a main food- 10mm) from May to July. By August these plant (along with Ivy) of the Holly Blue Irish Name: Cuileann have turned into green berries (just on the Butterfly’s caterpillars. The berries are a great female trees). This is followed in late autumn source of food for many birds (e.g. The Song Scientific Name: Ilex aquifolium by the familiar bright scarlet berries. Thrush and Mistle Thrush) during winter. By Winter these berries have turned bright red; and have the Holly is an typical appearance of the common evergreen tree, festive decorations in Ireland. and so has green Many seeds (located in the leaves all year berries) are spread by birds! round. In Autumn green Life In Spring, with the Image by Hornbeam Arts via Flickr.com berries can be increasing seen on the trees. temperatures and Cycle sunlight, the plant Fun Facts! grows new shoots. Image by Kentish Plover via Flickr.com o Holly trees are either male or female! – only the female can bear berries, but both sexes bear flowers. It is therefore important to plant several Holly trees Fertilisation happens when a together to make sure that the female trees can be Flower: May – July flower on a female tree Small white flowers fertilised by the male pollen, and thus go on to produce Fruit: November – January receives the pollen from a blossom in Summer fruit. flower on a male tree. A from May through to o In European folklore, Holly trees were associated with fertilised flower will then turn July. protection from lightning, so people used to plant them into a berry. near to their homes! 2C1 Holly Draw Holly leaves: Draw Holly in the Winter: These berries turn bright red in Winter, In Spring Holly before they fall to the trees grow their ground, with little branches a little seeds inside. longer. Seeds from the winter berries will also turn into new Holly trees. Life By Autumn the Cycle flowers, which have been pollinated by insects, will have In Summer small white turned into round flowers grow on the green berries. plants. They will attract insect visitors such as the Holly Blue Butterfly. 2C3 Description Habitat found Pied Wagtail A small, black and white, long- The Pied Wagtail lives in a wide variety tailed, active bird. It is often seen of habitats, often close to water, and Common Name: Pied Wagtail / Willy Wagtail standing whilst busily wagging its including urban areas in Ireland. It is tail up and down. It dashes about not common in upland areas or bogs. Irish Name: Glasóg shráide over grassland, lawns and car parks They feed mainly on insects caught on in search of food. It often calls out the ground or in flight. These birds Scientific Name: Motacilla alba yarrellii during its somewhat bobbing flight. often visit school yards and car-parks! In Spring, birds find a In Autumn and Winter, suitable mate and nest site females and first-winter and will start to build their males feed together in nest. They like tree hollows flocks. Adult males and log piles; but prefer to establish feeding nest in holes. territories on their own. Around mid-May they Outside the breeding lay 5-6 eggs. Eggs are season, birds roost in Life incubated by the reed beds, bushes and female. Chicks will ©Michael John O’Mahony trees; sometimes in city hatch after about 2 centres! Cycle weeks. ©Michael John O’Mahony John ©Michael Fun Facts! Parents will look after their Chicks are fed mainly During the winter, pied wagtails form Seen in Ireland: All year round. young for about two weeks on flying insects, and large groups at night to keep warm and after leaving the nest. And they grow quickly. Common throughout Ireland. then they will go on to have They are ready to safe. In the UK these roosts have had as a second family if it’s not leave the nest after many as 4000 birds huddled together! too late in the summer. about 2 weeks. That must be one noisy sleep-over! 2C3 Draw a Pied Wagtail: Pied Wagtail ©Michael John O’Mahony In the Autumn and Winter, adult males often feed alone, but all the other birds are happy to In Spring the feed in small groups together. mammy and daddy They also sleep in large groups birds pick a good at night-time; sometimes in spot to build a nest; Is there anywhere in your school where you think Pied Wagtails might like trees in the city centre! usually a tree hollow. to build a nest? Draw a picture of that place: Life Cycle By late Summer the chicks will fly out of In early Summer the the nest. The parents mammy lays up to 8 will stay with them and eggs. They will hatch help them get food for after 2 weeks. Both a few more weeks. parents then feed the chicks insects. 2C6 Description Habitat found Jackdaw This is a relatively small crow species. It Jackdaws can be found almost anywhere in is dark grey or black all over with a hint of Ireland; living happily in towns or in wild silver on the back of the neck. It has places.