Growing Wild

Dr Catherine Keena, Teagasc Countryside Management Specialist

Look out for ling heather in our peatlands – both raised bogs in the midlands and uplands throughout the country. It is a small shrub of up to one metre tall and grows in drier areas, particularly dry heaths.

Leafy shoots in opposite pairs on downy brown stems with overlapping leaves so close together they cover the stalk. Pale-purple flowers on flowering spikes provide nectar for heather honey. Our three native heathers are positive indicators in ACRES meaning higher scores and payments, showing how valuable our uplands are.

Find out more at an uplands symposium on Tuesday, 12 November in Louth. See Teagasc.ie/uplands

Ling or calluna nó fraoch mór is part of our native Irish biodiversity.

Poetry Corner

How do you measure a life?

By Jonathan Roth

The obvious, the number

of years here

The number of those dear

Your happy healthy years

The number of your tears

The friends you outlive

Your capacity to forgive

The careers you had

Your reasons to be glad

Your cash in the bank

The number of pints you drank

Your desire to survive

The cars in your drive

The love of your spouse

The friends in your house

Your well of altruism

Your odd mannerism

The love of a child

The times you smiled

The care you give to others

The support of your brothers

There’s a million measurements

For your life to make sense

Your must pick your own one

When you are on your home run

Picture of the week

Padraic enjoying slow evenings in Co Roscommon. \ Sarah Kilduff

Quote of the week

"The bottom line is Donegal needs more respite centres to be built to meet the needs of the community, but unfortunately that doesn’t appear likely in the short-term.” Letterkenny Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry McMonagle – See full story here.

Number of the week

Last week’s Budget announced 495 new beds will be provided across hospitals and health and community services, to bring the total countrywide to 18,000. See full story here (health) 12/13*

See Louth in the best light

Aerial shot of St Peter's lit up for the festival in Drogheda.

Lú Festival of Light will again bewitch visitors this Halloween season, bringing Drogheda to life with a dazzling light display and audio visual shows evoking the area’s mythological past.

Projections on the town’s historic buildings will tell the legendary stories of the Boyne through visuals and music. This means people can enjoy a free evening adventure journeying through time along the trail discovering the stories of Cú Chulainn, Lú, the Salmon of Knowledge, Boann, and many more.

This will all take place alongside an array of on-street performances including face painters and fire breathers, together with cafés, bars and restaurants in the area staying open late to welcome visitors to the town.

See lufestivaloflight.com

Online pick of the week

There are many ways to get the most out of your pumpkins beyond decoration and reduce food waste this Halloween. \iStock

As Halloween approaches – Too Good To Go – the social impact company that operates the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food, has plenty of suggestions to put every part of your pumpkin (see right) to good use. From face masks to tasty snacks, there are many ways to get the most out of your pumpkins beyond decoration and reduce food waste this Halloween.