GORDON D'ARCY
BY GORDON D’ARCY
NATURE’S GlittSHAWL ering IVY IS AMONG OUR MOST IMPORTANT PLANTS FOR BIODIVERSITY
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any nature-lovers are at war. ‘It’s invading the country; it’s destroying buildings; it’s choking the trees and hauling them down before our eyes’. Most people – those with neat properties at any rate – seem to have a revulsion towards it. Despite being ‘opportunistic’ rather than ‘invasive’ and decidedly native, there is no doubt that even the mention of ivy engenders widespread hostility. Let’s be honest. Ivy will cover a forest floor especially if there is no light getting down
to promote ground flora. Sitka spruce plantations are often carpeted with a monoculture of ivy, at the expense of flowers. And ivy will insinuate itself into crumbling lime mortar over time, even to the extent of destabilising old buildings. However, judicious base cutting will remedy the issue with little effort. Some people believe that ivy on a gable wall may help to keep a house warm and dry while others see it as a source of damp, keeping away the drying effect of the wind. On a drystone wall a blanket of ivy can obscure fine stonework but it may be the only thing
Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22
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11/05/2022 15:09
