
Hawthorn & The Irish Landscape
Hawthorn & The Irish Landscape
As we move away from the village, we start to encounter wilder areas populated largely with native species. Hawthorn is one of the most widely planted tree species in Ireland, mostly for its ability to act as an effective field boundary, with it’s dense branches and sharp thorns. See here as they cascade in from either side of the path, almost creating a tunnel. The hawthorn goes by many names in Ireland; among the most common are whitethorn, Maytree, and sceach (rhymes with “lock”). Hawthorns are one of the most common trees in Ireland and as luck would have it, they are one of the best trees around when it comes to supporting biodiversity, their bright red haws are a food source for many bird species, their dense branches offer protection for nesting, and their pinky-white flowers support a whole range of pollinators.

