Foraging for Rowan berries

When looking at Irish hedgerows and woodlands the pop of colour you see now is from the Rowan tree, also called Mountain Ash. These berries provide an early autumn feast for our birds. When foraging these, and any other nuts or seeds, taking small amounts from multiple trees is essential as picking too many means no or not enough food for our wildlife. Picking from different trees and ideally from different sites also reduces the risk of taking from diseased trees. Rowan is one of the toughest trees in our Irish landscape. They can survive underneath other trees like our gentle giant the Oak, in poor soil and have no problem with large amounts of rain.

Rowan fact: Red deer love to eat not just the leaves of the Rowan tree, but also their stems and bark.