Nature Magic

Laura talks about lessons from lockdown, being nice to spiders and the intelligence of plants. As well as being a nature lover, Laura is a celebrity psychic, a business coach, an author of 7 books, a chart topping podcaster, an actor, model, singer and a movie award judge! Laura invited me as a guest on to her health podcast ‘Healing Powers’ on the subject of the healing power of nature and then encouraged me, forcefully, to start this podcast! She was right of course! and it has been a very rewarding experience. So grab a cup of tea, find out how plants and animals wish to connect to us. When on the nature walk Laura told us that Vincent our year old mini pony is very psychic, how fun is that!

Recommended books:

Secret Life of plants
By: Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

Be Nice to Spiders
By: Margaret Bloy Graham

Contact Laura at
https://www.healingpowers.net/laurapowers

Check out Burren Nature Sanctuary at
www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Contact Mary at
[email protected]

Professor Jane Stout talks about her love for ants and solitary bees and her role in setting up the All Ireland Pollinator Plan.
Jane is a professor in Botany in the School of Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin. She leads the Plant-Animal Interactions research group and is Ireland’s leading expert on bees and pollination ecology. She is co-founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, and deputy chair of its Steering Group, as well as co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Irish Forum on Natural Capital.

Check out the All Ireland Pollinator Plan here:
https://pollinators.ie

Check out the Irish Forum on Natural Capital here:
https://www.naturalcapitalireland.com

Recommended books:
Richard Dawkins – The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins – The Blind Watchmaker
Zoe Devlin – The Wildflowers of Ireland
Steven Falk – Bees of Britain and Ireland
Bryan Danforth et al – The Solitary Bees
Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson – Extraordinary Insects

Email me at:
[email protected]

Check out the Burren Nature Sanctuary at:
www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Eamon talks about snorkelling and kayaking in Inishbofin, writers and poets that inspired him, finding nature along the River Dodder and connecting to the natural world in his allotment.

Eamon served as Minister for Communications Energy and Natural Resources from 2007-2011 and since then has been the leader of the Green Party in Ireland. With the European Green Deal announced this week with a €20 billion a year budget it is even more important than ever that we have strong voices in Government to insure these measures are implemented. They include reducing chemical pesticides by 50%, planting 3 billion native trees and protecting 30% of our land and marine areas by 2030.


Recommended books
Gaia
By: James Lovelock

Silent Spring
By:Rachel Carson

The Sea Around Us
By:Rachel Carson

Nostos
By:John Moriarty

The One Straw Revolution
By: Masanobu-Fukuoka

Limits to Growth
By: Donella H. Meadows

Cycling holidays in Ireland
https://cyclingsafaris.com

E.O. Wilson: Half the Earth Project
https://www.half-earthproject.org

Check out the Burren Nature Sanctuary at
www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Contact me at
[email protected]

Pádraic talks about loving the Humpback Whale and the controversial concept of reintroducing Wolves to the Island of Ireland.

Pádraic is an ecologist and also the Campaigns Officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust. The Trust aims to conserve wildlife and the habitats they depend on throughout Ireland while encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the need to protect it.

Pádraic is author of the successful nature book ‘Whittled Away – Ireland’s Vanishing Nature.’
In his book Pádraic issues a provocative call to arms and presents an alternative path to lead us to a brighter future. He calls for the return of long-lost species like wild boar, cranes, and wolves, showing how nature and wildlife can recover hand in hand.

Find the Irish Wildlife Trust at
www.iwt.ie
Buy the book Whittled Away in the Irish Wildlife Trust shop or on Amazon (5 star rating)

Recommended books:

The Sea Around Us
By: Rachel Carson

The Unnatural History of the Sea
By: Callum Roberts

Recommended film:

The Silver Branch
Featuring: local farmer Patrick McCormack
http://www.seafeverproductions.com/#buy-dvds-

Contact Pádraic through his website at:
http://www.openfield.ie
Find him on LinkedIn at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/padraic-fogarty-95b30a1b
Follow him on Twitter at:
@whittledaway

Check out the Burren Nature Sanctuary at
www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Contact Mary Bermingham at
[email protected]

Joshua talks about being ‘a plant obsessive’ and taking over his mother's back garden at an early age to grow wildflowers.

Joshua is a 24 year old botanist with a BSc in Ecology and a passion for plants that is irresistible. His work since gaining his first-class degree in 2017 includes founding and coordinating the North West Rare plants initiative. The NWRPI is a conservation programme based in NW England, funded primarily by Chester Zoo and Lancashire Wildlife Trust that aims to reverse the fortunes of over 40 target plant species on the brink in the region, including plants like the Great Sundew. He is currently studying for an MSc in Biological Recording and Ecological Monitoring at MMU. He is dedicated to protecting and reintroducing rare and endangered species.

Apart from his skills and achievements Joshua is a wonderful, engaging human being who is guaranteed to pull you along in the slipstream of his obsession! If I was a TV producer, I would snap him up immediately as the David Attenborough of the plant kingdom.
Check him out on You Tube or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Recommended book:
Collins Photographic Wildflower Guide
By: David Streeter

The North West Rare Plants initiative
www.nwrpi.weebly.com

Plants before Pandas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW_XnT-MjtU

Contact Joshua
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-styles

Check out the Burren Nature Sanctuary at
www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Donate to the Burren Flora Seed Bank Project at https://www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie/product/burren-flora-seed-bank-project/

Noeleen talks about the tricks plants play, her love of moss and its importance in controlling flooding. She speaks about being deeply connected to the ancient spiritual landscape of Ireland, her efforts to conserve plant species and combat 'plant blindness.' She is currently Conservation Botanist at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, where she is working on launching the new National Seed Bank for Irish native flora. She also continues her work in invasive species control, island endemic species recovery, along with conservation research into Ireland's rare and threatened fern and bryophyte species.

Recommended book
The Song of the Dodo
BY: David Quammen

Check out the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin at
www.botanicgardens.ie

Check out Burren Nature Sanctuary at
www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Jonathan talks about his love for rainforests and Slime mould! He is an environmental activist, and has been fighting for nature since the 1970s. He was a prominent leader of the Green Party, formerly the Ecology Party, in the UK, and was the inspirational Director of Friends of the Earth until 1990. In 1996, he founded Forum for the Future, advising leading organisations in both the public and private sector on sustainability issues. He’s passionate about promoting solutions to today’s multiple problems, and working with young people – which is the one thing above all else that keeps him hopeful today!

Recommended books
The Lorax
By: Dr Suess
The Peregrine
By: J.A. Baker (read by David Attenborough on Audible)

Contact Jonathan through his website at http://www.jonathonporritt.com/
Visit Burren Nature Sanctuary at http://www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Costas Christ talks about sea turtles, organic blueberry farming and how we need to reframe our relationship with nature.
Learn more about ecotourism and contact Costas at
https://www.beyondgreentravel.com/what-we-do

Recommended books
Urashim Taro, The Fisher Lad- audio
https://historyofjapan.co.uk/wiki/urashima-taro-the-fisher-lad/

The works of
Ralph Waldo Emmerson
Paul Theroux
Robert Frost
My Side of the Mountain
By: Jean Craighead George

Living The Good Life: How to Live Simply and Sanely in a Troubled World.
By: Helen and Scott Nearing

www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Mary Reynolds talks about meeting plant spirits in her childhood in rural Ireland, her inspiring project 'We Are The Ark', her magical book 'The Garden Awakens' and what we can do to help save the planet.
Find contact details for Mary and information on ‘We are the Ark’
at http://marymary.ie
Buy her book ‘The Garden Awakens’ – Designs to nurture ourselves and our land.
https://bit.ly/2UKBMxa
Recommended Books
Doug W Tallamy
Natures Best- A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard
https://amzn.to/3aIz54U
Isabella Tree
Wilding- Returning nature to our farm
https://amzn.to/3dQefCN
Benedict MacDonald
Rebirding- Rewilding Britain and its birds
https://amzn.to/3bRq0a5