An Irish Nature Year

An Irish Nature Year is an illustrated day book filled with plants, animals, birds and creepy crawlies from all over Ireland. With one short entry for every day of the year, nature columnist Jane Powers serves up 5 minutes’ worth of wonderment to enjoy on your coffee break, on your commute, or to relax with at bedtime. Call it a reconnection with nature, or a daily meditation on the world around us, this is a gift book for nature-lovers and nature newbies alike. It’s also a treasure trove of trivia: * Ever wonder why spring flowers are yellow? * Why would anyone put a live frog in their mouth? * What was the first creature to be sent into space? * Irish lizards don’t lay eggs. Wait, what? * Who’s cutting perfect circles in your roses? * What plant do museums use to clean ancient fabrics? * Amethyst deceiver: animal, mineral, or vegetable? * What Irish ingredient was used to make Chanel No. 5? * Do you know what ‘devil’s skirt buttons’ are? * What animal has the same vocal range as Mariah Carey and Axl Rose? …And what, exactly, is a cockchafer? Rigorously researched, it is brimming with scientific facts, along with nuggets of history and folklore. Powers celebrates and demystifies the natural world as the seasons turn: each piece covers the plants and creatures you may encounter on that particular day. From the ‘weeds’ springing up in the cracks of the pavements, to armies of wading birds spotted from the train, to the eerie sounds of wildlife by night, An Irish Nature Year shines a light on the nature right under your nose in our towns, cities, fields and shorelines.