Seán Keane

Queen's of the early bumblebee and common carder bumblebee on blackcurrant flowers on Easter Sunday. In my parents garden Newport, Co. Mayo.

F@ck sake

Ireland’s SHAME -Beautiful Young Irish #Disabled Men & Women #Disabled Teenagers & Children -Allowed Become Inoperable On Spinal & Urology Waitlists -No Clinical Pathway 4 Those Failed By @CHI_Ireland -Young #Disabled Citizens Dying For Lack Of Intervention -Obscene Ableist State

Our small woods is known by older people locally as the Kylebeg/Choill bheag. The ground flora in the woods suggests its been around a while. My friend @CathainDonncha found this reference to a 4 acre "dwarfwood" in Ballyvaskin in the Down Survey (mid 1600s) Nice to dream...

“We run the gas off the electricity and the electricity off the gas, and we save two hundred pounds a year but then a few weeks later, god I’ll never forget it now, we got a new boiler…” RIP Ben Keaton

Over 20 species of #orchids seen beautifully well today on Rhodes, with the stars of the show being vast numbers of Ophrys cretica - they're having a great year, and are flowering in profusion at the moment. A firm favourite with our #OrchidsOfRhodes guests.

UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows over the past 100 years. Here's one that's been saved and rejuvenated, only to be destroyed by @belfastcc short term thinking. Please sign and share the petition to ask them to think again change.org/p/save-botanic…

A mother Elephant rescues her calf from a flooded river in Kruger National Park, South Africa.  It took place in January 2026 during a period of historical flooding in the park. 
Heavy rains turned dry riverbeds into dangerous, fast-moving waterways. 

 The mother used her bulk and trunk to guide the calf to safety as it struggled against the current. 

 Such displays of maternal instinct are crucial for survival in the wild, particularly during extreme weather events. 🎦 Credit: Ian Shoebotham, Safari Guide.

I take cuttings to grow free trees & increase our farm’s biodiversity youtu.be/y1Yz7ozgVlw?si… via @YouTube I take cuttings from a female holly tree, alders,bird cherry,scrub plum&spindle. I’m late taking cuttings so hope a few of them will take root to plant them next autumn

Surely every garden needs this “weed”? Red dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) which is already feeding recently emerged queen bumblebees in our garden. @BumblebeeTrust @WorcsWT @LGSpace @BiodiversitySoS

@EmmanuelMacron Prick

I have just spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian. I called on him to put an immediate end to the unacceptable attacks Iran is carrying out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies, including in Lebanon and Iraq. I reminded him that France is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partners, and freedom of navigation, and that it is unacceptable for our country to be targeted. The unchecked escalation we are witnessing is plunging the entire region into chaos, with major consequences today and for the years to come. The people of Iran, like those across the region, are paying the price. Only a new political and security framework can ensure peace and security for all. Such a framework must guarantee that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, while also addressing the threats posed by its ballistic missile programme and its destabilising activities regionally and internationally. Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible. I also urged the Iranian President to allow Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris to return safely to France as soon as possible. Their ordeal has gone on for far too long, and they belong with their loved ones.

Satisfying rhythm of scythe mowing.

Not the first bumblebee I've noticed this year but the first I was quick enough to catch on camera. It's nice to see them coming back again.

The snowdrops are fading and the blackthorn are opening. Spring is springing...

Arterial drainage maintenance works on the River Morningstar at Athlacca, Co. Limerick. These works were completed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) during the period November 2025 to January 2026. I visited the site last week when the machines had already left the site. However, I have been provided with photos showing the works underway. Significant areas of riparian woodland have been removed, and alluvial woodland was also cleared from islands within the river. There is evidence of substantial silt mobilisation and in-stream disturbance. The riverbanks have been destabilised as a result of the removal of trees and other vegetation. Although silt fences are now present, they did not prevent fine sediment and wet soil from entering the channel during the work. Machines tracked instream during the salmonid close season. This damage will affect the river for years to come, and a permanent loss of riparian woodland has occurred. The removal of woodland set back from the riverbank extends well beyond what would be considered to be river maintenance works. The River Morningstar is an important salmonid nursery and spawning tributary of the River Maigue. The lower reaches of the River Maigue form part of the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the River Shannon and River Fergus Estuaries Special Protection Area (SPA). Works like these are completed under the Arterial Drainage Act (1945). They are supposed to protect against flooding, but in reality, they have the opposite effect. By draining water off farmland too quickly, river works like this increase flood risk in downstream urban areas. This work was completed to protect wet farmland in a natural floodplain. We do need flood mitigation measures - but they need to be effective, sustainable, and based on evidence. In most cases that means slowing the flow of water through natural flood management techniques and restoring floodplains and wetlands to absorb excess water rather than pushing it downstream. We need to reform the Arterial Drainage Act (1945) and recognise the vital role that floodplains, alluvial woodlands and wetlands play in flood management and mitigation. Instead of fighting against nature, we should be working with it to ensure communities are truly protected in the long term. A healthy, functioning river catchment benefits everyone - not just wildlife, but the people who live alongside it too.

Another busy week despite the wet conditions. Tree planting, a new hedgerow on the way 👏 well done to all the crew under the guidance of Sean who has been guiding us on our biodiversity journey. Great to see the seeds and cuttings coming along in the tunnell too. #planting

A dying breed, sadly.

@rayofoghlu Amazing

God bless them.

❗️Think before you litter, who picks it up!!! A thought for the week ahead. Keep Belmullet Tidy. A poem written by our own Katherine. #litter #cigarettebutts #WorkingTogetherToMakeADifference #keepourcommunityclean #sweep @TidyTowns

People's homes or business premises pay for the cultivation of flood plains down stream. We need food but their story matters too.