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Gorse: Furze: Whin: Aiten Ulex europaeux.

Despised by the Farmer, photographed by the tourist and known to all, two species flower at different times giving impression of flowering throughout the year. Its musky fragrance is familiar to most but only if you look closely will you realise that it is part of the pea family. The sound of the mature pod exploding and catapulting its fertilised seed to new ground can be heard in summer. The ants also assists in its spread as the oily suds are a favourite on their menu and later voided onto new ground.

In the past, the furze was put to many uses: - because it ignites quickly, it was used for starting the fire: it was used for cleaning the chimney and tilling the soil. At mid-summer, the blazing branches were carried round the herd to bring good health to the cows for the coming year.

On the domestic front, it was used for dyeing wool and fabric, and as flavouring for wine and whiskey (may improve its rating with the farmers). It had medicinal powers for treating ringworm, intestinal worms and cough and of course, its magical powers were undisputed in preventing the fairies from stealing the butter on May day.

It is a special haunt for the bees on a sunny summer's day and the spiders web on exhibition here on a autumnal morning is one of nature's great masterpieces, methodically and craftily constructed, some spiders lie in wait for their prey in the middle of their web. Others hide close by, holding on to the web by a single strand of silk. Through this the spider can sense the vibrations caused as an insect hits the net. It climbs in quickly and dispatches the victim with a poisonous bite, but, have no fear, our Doon spiders don't poison people, however the 'Black Widow' in the tropics is quite dangerous.

Another species courteously taps on a selected female's web in order to display his 'passion' for her! Though the spider has no wings they can travel many miles by producing a thread which is caught by the wind and acts as a parachute.

The tiny willow warbler (half oz), after its journey from Africa will liven up the countryside here from its perch on the furze contributing its delightful warbling. Its companion here making "chipping" notes and "showing-off" flicking its wings and its tail is the stonechat.

An attractive dome of lichen and moss deeply lined with feathers in a thicket of furze is a tiny longtailed tit's nest. They are sociable, keeping company with many other small birds as they feed through a wood, or along a hedge, flitting one after another and keeping up a piping note.

[The Rabbit] [The Badger] [Ivy] [Honeysuckle] [Moss] [Common Oak] [Pedunculate Oak] [Lichens] [Common Lime]
[The Hedgehog] [The Bramble] [The Chiffchaff] [The Frog Hopper] [Hawthorn] [Tree Roots]
[The Wood Mouse] [The Pigmy Shrew] [The Sycamore] [The Guelder Rose] [The Ash] [Gorse] [Hazel] [Tootworth]
[Goat Willow] [The Rowan] [Common White Beam] [Spindle] [Dog Rose] [The Blackthorn] [Birds] [Grasshoppers & Crickets] [Dragonfly & Damesify] [Feral Goat] [Silver Birch] [Pine Martin] [Fungi] [Lough Carra] [Brown Trout] [The Mute Swan]
[The Otter] [Limestone] [Holly] [The Fox] [The Mighty Oak] [Common Polypody] [Treecreeper] [The Irish Stoat]
[The Hornbeam] [Bats]