Thursday, March 31, 2011

Knockbarron wood/Esker


After the looped walks around the Slieve Blooms we headed off for Knockbarron wood. The woodland is located along an Esker. Eskers can be found in many central parts of Ireland. They can be thought of as rivers of sediment and rubble that got transported when tunnels formed within glaciers. They sometimes can travel for miles and sometimes contain rich mineral and rock deposits. Knockbarron wood is considered the finest example of these land formation in Ireland. The woodland itself is a managed by various bodies and it contains a rich diversity of species especially solitary Bees and rare plants due to the underlining rock. 

Small Larch forest


Bilberry plant


The fight for higher ground

Our lecturer Michael Maunsell taking a photo of professer Roche as he explains the inner workings of the geomorphology process of Irelands past.