Nature Trail

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The Nature Trail.

Doon wood is a secondary mixed deciduous woodland. The native trees were first cut down about 5,000 years ago by stone age farmers and bronze age people in order to build their stone huts and to sow cereal crops for their animals. Thousands of years later, it grew up again when new saplings were not grazed as humans no longer lived here.

Birds which voided seeds from the fruit of trees growing elsewhere; seeds carried by animals in their hooves; wind blown or, carried here for storage and forgotten, are means of seed sowing. Records of larch and lime planted by Peter Lynch of Castlecarra on the 22nd of March, 1768 exist, otherwise all species here contribute to making a semi-native wood of national importance, with few of its type now remaining. Its associated stories are sad and glad. There is much evidence of felled oak trees. Our affluent regret now, is incapable of understanding the poverty which forced them to be cut down by our ancestors in the not-too-distant past. In tudor times, exploitation caused the removal of vast amounts of our native Irish woodland for commercial gain to power the wheels of the industrial revolution in Britain.

The hustle and bustle of woodlife activities here range from operatic performances to rival "La Scala" in the Dawn Chorus; scurrying and scavenging for the next meal; exhibitions of life threatening head-butting of the wild goats in the pursuit of a mate; hectic nocturnal activity when sound rather than sight is crucial but most of all where self-preservation must be relied upon in order to avoid entering the food chain whereby almost all order of wildlife are preyed on by another.

The nature trail has different habitats. A habitat is where a plant or animal is able to shelter, find food and rear its young. Because of different food requirements, different size, different senses, plants and animals are adapted to specific places.

[Animals] [Flora & Fauna] [Trees]

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