Kildare Wildlife Watch: Nature signals new beginnings
Deers, butterflies and birch trees symbolise a fresh start
Christmas day has past us by for another year and while we look forward to the new year ahead. Have you ever considered how much wildlife is associated with so many aspects of our culture?
You read last week about the robins association with Christmas, but did you know that butterflies have a strong association with new beginnings?
As butterflies emerge from their cocoon they embark on a journey and this represents new beginnings, a fresh start and a renewed focus. Deer also have a strong symbolism with new beginnings and change. In Greek mythology the Goddess of the hunt, Artemis, changed a man into a stag.
Even some our trees are associated with new beginnings. At the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, birch trees were one of the first species to re-colonise. Today ecologists refer to birch as as a pioneer species, while in Celtic mythology it is a symbol of renewal and purification.
While culturally many wildlife offers us symbols of new beginnings for the new year ahead, in our everyday lives the wildlife all around us also provides many services to us. The benefits we receive from nature are referred to as ecosystem services.
Some wildlife act as predators keeping the populations of what we often describe as pests under control.
Frogs feed on slugs and snails in our garden, bats feed on moths and birds including owls and birds of prey feed on mice.
Earthworms move through our soil helping to keep it both fertile and aerated. Butterflies and bumblebees are pollinators enabling our food to grow.
The trees, grass and wildflowers filter our air observing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. While we will soon begin a new year, thank you for reading this weekly wildlife watch.
I hope throughout the year you have enjoyed the weekly feature and I look forward to sharing more with you in the new year ahead. For now wishing you a very peaceful and Happy New Year.
If you would like help identifying a wildlife observation in your community you can contact me on [email protected].
- Nuala Madigan - The Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan