HAWTHORN
Great to see this beautiful hawthorn tree in full bloom on one of the hedgerows at Glenview Lodge. They are also in bloom all over West Limerick at the moment.
The trees can be seen in many of the walking trails around Broadford. Beautiful Irish countryside.
Hawthorn in Irish “Scrach Gleal” and also known as Whitethorn.
It is probably the most common native tree in Ireland.
The blossom will eventually develop into berries “haws” which are an important source of food for bird and wildlife.
Most of the hedgerows we see today are the field systems created during the land enclosures of 1800s when large numbers of hawthorn saplings were planted to create the current stock proof enclosures.
The tree is thorny and deciduous.
Going back to Brehan Law the hawthorn was known as one of the “Commoners of the Wood”.
Some Hawthorn trees that grow on their own in some of the many ring forts of which there are thousands all over the island of Ireland are known as ‘fairy trees’.