Naturefile

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Naturefile is a celebratory journey to the lesser-known realms of nature in Ireland with Anja Murray. With surprising stories uncovered each week, about everything from lichens to trees, Swallows to Sea Eagles, starfish and turtles, there are elements of science, history and folklore.

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82 episodes
Updated July 25

Episodes82

Newest first

Jun 28, 2025 · 7 min
Naturefile - Meadow brown & ringlet butterflies
Ringlet and Meadow brown butterflies are on the wing through high summer, filling up with nectar in flower rich meadows and finding the perfect places there for their larvae too. Explore the summertime highs of brown butterflies on this weeks Nature File. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 21, 2025 · 5 min
Naturefile - Meadowsweet
Creamy, perennial of damp waysides, meadows, marshes and woods, this tall, hairless plant flowers throughout Ireland from June to September. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 14, 2025 · 8 min
Naturefile - Goshawk
The Goshawk is a large hawk, almost reaching buzzard size. When seen up close, it has a fierce look with bright red eyes and a distinctive white eyebrow. Thanks to its broad wings, it can to hunt at high speed, weaving in and out of trees, while its legs and talons can catch its prey in flight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 31, 2025 · 8 min
Naturefile - Waterlilies
Nymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate and tropical climates around the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 10, 2025 · 7 min
Naturefile - Little Egret
Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 3, 2025 · 6 min
Naturefile - Sphagnum Moss
Sphagnum mosses carpet the ground with colour on our marshes, heaths and moors. They play a vital role in the creation of peat bogs: by storing water in their spongy forms, they prevent the decay of dead plant material and eventually form peat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 26, 2025 · 5 min
Naturefile - The pygmy shrew
The pygmy shrew is Ireland’s smallest mammal and, up until 2007, was the only shrew species found on the island. Fossil and molecular evidence suggest that the pygmy shrew likely arrived in Ireland from Britain, accidentally introduced by early human settlers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 19, 2025 · 6 min
Dwarf Willow
Growing to a mere 1-8cm in height, the dwarf willow (Salix herbacea) is arguably the world’s tiniest tree. Well adapted to live in arctic and subarctic environments, this tiny wooden sprout has developed the key strategy to surviving the cold; staying really small. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 12, 2025 · 6 min
Naturefile - Sandmartins
Our smallest breeding Hirundine species, being about a third smaller than both House Martin and Swallow. Adult Sand Martins have a brown head, back, rump and wings. The throat is white, as are the belly and vent except for a broad brown breast band. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 5, 2025 · 7 min
New Series - Naturefile - Bluebells
Naturefile returns to Daybreak with a seasonal look at these beauties now appearing in our gardens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2024 · 6 min
Naturefile - Brent Geese
A winter migrant from high-Arctic Canada. Most occur in Ireland between October and April. This population winters almost entirely in Ireland, with small numbers in parts of Britain and France. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 19, 2024 · 7 min
Naturefile - Hedgehogs
Many people are surprised to hear that hedgehogs are not actually native to Ireland. It is believed that they were introduced in the 12th century from Britain ... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 5, 2024 · 8 min
Daybreak - Ivy
Ivy flowers in October, ensuring vital nectar supplies for butterflies, moths and bees when very little else is in flower. Ivy is a wonderful world of sustenance to lots of wildlife through winter months. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 28, 2024 · 6 min
Naturefile - Hairy Mollies
The term ‘Hairy Molly’ has often been used in Ireland to describe any hairy or fuzzy-looking caterpillar. This term is said to have originated from the Irish language where ‘mala’ or ‘malaí’ (plural) is the Irish word for an eyebrow. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 21, 2024 · 6 min
Naturefile - Song Thrush
A close rival songster to the Blackbird, from which it mainly differs in its repetition of each phrase three or four times. Typical phrases include "cherry dew," and "knee-deep," . Loud, fluty and far-carrying. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 14, 2024 · 5 min
Naturefile - Craneflies
Crane flies are flies in the family Tipulidae. They are insects. Crane flies look similar to large mosquitoes but, unlike mosquitoes, crane flies do not bite. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 7, 2024 · 8 min
Naturefile - Seals
Grey Seals haul themselves ashore in autumn to breed, on remote and generally undisturbed areas, in particular offshore islands, where human disturbance is absent. Trá Bán on the Great Blasket Island is one back where hundreds of seals can still be seen on the beach in autumn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 31, 2024 · 5 min
Naturefile - lady's tresses orchids
Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 24, 2024 · 6 min
Naturefile - Kestrel
A species of falcon. A small bird of prey with long, relatively narrow wings and tail. Has a short, hooked bill for eating meat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 17, 2024 · 6 min
Naturefile - Ragwort
Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is native biennial which is a food source for a wide range of insects. It is not usually a significant problem in gardens, but its poisonous qualities can make it a danger for horses or cattle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.