I’m feeling full of hope. Today, I cleared a section of the garden that was densely overrun with non-native grasses and bushes that had established themselves and were spreading rapidly. It was sobering work, but underneath it all, I found some ivy and this – a tiny holly sapling.
Known as ‘Cuileann’ in Irish and ‘Ilex aquifolium’ in Latin, holly is one of our 21 native Irish trees. It was prized in ancient times for protection and winter forage.
That holly has the resilience to root under a thick knot of invasive species gives me hope for the resilience of nature as a whole on this island.