Summers Evenings

The old people celebrated St John’s Eve with gusto, and the longest day of the year is always a milestone both in one’s personal life and in the world of nature. At this time of the year Cabragh Wetlands is at its pristine best. A few evenings ago, in a blood-red sunset as close as it ever gets to the Devil’s Bit, a Committee member came across a small group of ladies tucked silently beneath the trees watching the water lilies beginning to close at the end of another beautiful day. In answer to a nosey question they replied that they were waiting for an otter. Of course no otter arrived on demand – nature is a force beyond human control, and efforts to do so have resulted in a cataclysmic outlook for mankind. But here at Cabragh such concerns can seem far away, and time and patience bring their reward. Some come to capture a moment on camera, others on multi-pixel film, and yet nothing can recreate that fusion of sound, colour, smell and a hint of a breeze on the evening air. What is certain is that an evening stroll or quiet sojourn by the lakeside lifts the spirits and gives a feeling that, despite everything, all’s well with the world in this quiet green corner of Fertiana, Cabragh and Galbertstown. Hurrying back to the busy world, one begins to think that on the longest day of the year time is once again gaining on us. How many beautiful May evenings have we lost, just as we missed the churning lake waters of March and the arrival of migrant birds arrived from foreign shores? The children, of course, have another wonderful opportunity this summer. As the marsh at last begins to dry out, the butterflies and damselflies flit and hover, the orchids colour the grassland, reed buntings and stonechats grate the ear, and our youthful Detectives in the Wild are there to observe, record, measure but above all experience at first hand the joy that immersion in the natural world brings to the young mind. Detective in the Wild Summer Camp begins at Cabragh Wetlands on July 13th, and a similar week for adults during Heritage Week at the end of August. All details from the Wetlands Centre (0504-43879) or 0504-23831.