Wild About Wildlife: Lessons for life in Cappamore

THE SUN was out as the incredible mild weather continued, but the forecast was predicting a drop in temperatures in the coming week. This day I was heading out a foraging and biodiversity walk with the Cappamore youth group who are part of East Limerick Youth Service. I have been out with this group several times with Paul Broderick who is a youth worker with Limerick Youth Service. When it comes to protecting the environment it is so important that the voices and opinions of young people are listened to in connection with protecting the wildlife.

I was joined by youth worker Craig, and Michelle, a student who is completing her studies. We also had several junior leaders. They have been involved in the club for many years and are now starting to take on leadership roles and pass on their experience and wisdom to the younger members.

We met in the community centre and this is a brilliant facility and we were delighted to have it as a base for the afternoon. Another great resource is the community pitch and there was a match on as I pulled into the car park. There was a large crowd of chatting parents on the side lines and the young people were displaying their football skills.

Busy Limerick post office unable to open due to circumstances beyond control

I love to see young people getting involved in sport at a young age as long as it is more about fun and exercise before the serious training begins in later life. Before we left we did a safety check as the path is quite narrow in parts and the road was very busy.

We headed off to look at plants and their uses and the junior leaders were the designated photographers for the walk and this meant they could make full use of their phones. As we walked past the busy football pitch I could hear wrens calling from the hedgerow across the road. Wrens start to form winter territories and these will be nucleus of their spring breeding grounds.

Our first plant was the humble dandelion and this was growing at the edge of the path. There were a few still in flower and the leaves can be eaten in a salad but are quite bitter tasting. The roots can also be roasted as a coffee substitute. Dandelion tea is a natural diuretic and this has led to its more common name of wet the bed. You have to be very careful where you pick the leaves as a dog or a human might have relieved themselves there.

Many of the berries had been eaten by the birds but thankfully there were a few left for us to examine. Rose hips are the fruit of the dog rose. They are bright red and packed full of Vitamin C and were once made into a cough syrup. Young people know them as itchy backs and the hairy seeds inside the berries can make your back feel itchy.

Hawthron berries can be made into a warm drink that is meant to be good for your heart. They are also eaten by hungry birds and especially winter migrants like fieldfares and Redwings.

The blackberries were all gone and had been eaten by hungry creatures like birds, animals and insects. Most of the group had been blackberry picking this year and some had tried delicious homemade jams and jellies. The berries also contain a natural antibiotic and this gives a boost to the immune system coming into the cough and cold season.

Nettles are one of the few plants that people can instantly recognize due to past painful encounters. Nettles are a fabulous vegetable and when fresh can be added to pastas and made into a soup. They also helped the soldiers who took part in the D-day invasion of France. The dye extracted from the nettles was used to camouflage the soldier’s uniforms.

The leaves of nettles are also the food plant for many species of our native butterflies and moths.

The trees were just starting to get their autumn colours and the beech has one of the most beautiful displays. We took a few photos of the amazing orange, reds and greens on the beech leaves. The nuts of the beech are also edible but these had been already eaten by birds and animals. Many of the trees and plants are still green and autumn seems to be creeping a little deeper into the winter months each year.

Along the path we found the helicopters from the sycamore trees. These are not very palatable and will be eaten by creatures as a last resource.

It is so important to engage young people around the environment and thanks to everyone who helped out with the walk and especially the junior leaders.

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albert.nolan@rocketmail.com or 089 4230502.