In an Irish Atlantic rainforest, a 'wolf' oak: the term for a tree much older than those all around.
A grandmother tree, progenitor and nurturer of the ecosystem, she very possibly grew when – even because – wolves still hunted these parts.
A nice twist on the word.
Ancient forests aren't "resources"—they're living systems sustaining us all. Destroy them for short-term gain? That's planetary sabotage.
#Ecocide isn't abstract: it steals stable climate, clean air, future harvests from our children. Time to protect what remains. 🌳🛡️
#BiodiversityCrisis #ActNow
The climate water wars are upon us, but in some parts of the world water scarcity has been around for millennia.
This interesting post by @richard.wickedproblems.earth explores how water scarcity shaped thinking in biblical times and how our societies today are blundering into water chaos:
Rewilding.
Het is niet zo ingewikkeld.
Cattle benefit rewilding land if given *purely winter* access, since tree leaves are absent and can't be eaten. Their hooves break up ground, facilitating seed germination, etc.
However, and I still don't really understand why or how, they do very occasionally demolish young trees, like this birch.
It's hard to believe that just 15 years ago, this was virtually empty space, with none of the native trees, epiphytic mosses, yellow flag, reed buntings, bullfinches, or other life now present, and increasing in diversity year on year.
Rewilding is how we reverse nature loss in Ireland.
"A very beautiful story."
How the Alps lost its bone-breaker vultures - then got them back.
Few things are as uplifting as the return of wild nature.
share.google/VtrCMPihKuIK...
An extraordinary creature - but a bit of wuss, too. From Pyrenean foothills, April 2025.
Nature always has a remedy
Scientists discover tiny ocean fungus that kills toxic algae
A newly discovered marine fungus can kill toxic algae blooms, hinting at a hidden natural regulator in the ocean.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
This conversation with @tomraftery.com
about climate action in this moment of polycrisis was really cathartic, give it a listen!
The full conversation is available where you get your podcasts, or watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLsx...
Invasive alien species are a top driver of global nature loss. Yet whenever it's an animal, a segment of people fanatically resists their control.
They believe it's okay to sacrifice whole native ecosystems, with 1,000s of interconnected species, rather than tackle the problem.
They're very wrong.
"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere."
- Elie Wiesel
The vast majority of the Irish public feel distress, sadness, anger, grief, fear, despair, guilt, frustration, and worry at nature loss and environmental decline.
Why is this never reflected in actual government policy???
share.google/YVnm9xodOzuP...
An ancient Irish rainforest, overwhelmed by invasive sika deer and rhododendron. As these trees die of old age, only the rhodo remains.
Most of Ireland's only 1% or so of surviving native woodland is dying, almost all due to invasives like sika, goats, sheep, and rhodo.
We could do SO much better.
How much more evidence do we need? The ultra-rich and the governments supporting them will destroy everything for the sake of profit, power and pride. Nothing is precious to them - not human life, not the living world - except their own wealth and status. Our survival depends on resisting them.
This is what ecocide looks like.
I can't wait to celebrate World Rewilding Day 2026 with the wonderful Kerri ní Dochartaigh at the Slieve Aughty Centre, Co. Galway, on Friday the 20th.
We'll be talking the Great Forest of Aughty, and rewilding's potential to return some of the nature we've lost.
www.celtnet.org/events/world...
Reading and acting on this post could well save your life.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
What at first glance looks like the caps of reddish fungi on a tree trunk, turns out to be the large fruiting bodies of an epiphytic peltigera lichen.
But of course, lichens are part fungi. So in that sense, the initial judgement wasn't wrong!
The magic of an Irish rainforest.
Exact same spot.
Exact same time of year.
Four years apart.
Not a thing planted.
The power of rewilding.
Solar farms could increase global crop yields by hundreds of billions of pounds, thanks to the protective microclimate created beneath their panels.
www.positive.news/environment/...
The Economist was wrong about the Iraq war. Wrong about austerity.
The Economist keeps being brilliant at being bad at economics.
Maybe change the name to The Propagandist?
Much of central Australia was bone dry (0mm) in January, but had over a years worth of rain in the last 4 weeks.
Green = more than annual rainfall, Blue = at least double annual rainfall.
www.bom.gov.au/climate/maps...
Here's what is likely a red pinwheel mushroom.
#photography #nature #macrophotography #mushroom #pnw #resist
Here are some nice mushrooms and lichens
Thank you for resharing, Eoghan.
Your comments about recognising how large herbivore absence has left ecological gaps in ecosystems and hopefully deciding to do something about it are spot on.
I was very kindly asked by the @museumofchildhood.bsky.social to contribute a personal story related to my childhood and nature, which I did.
You can read it here:
museumofchildhood.ie/that-wilder-...
Good morning from the equatorial rainforest everyone. No to ecocide
Staying human in these fast changing times, transitioning to what’s coming.
Worth watching:
