At head of title : "Based on the RTE TV series"

Includes bibliography and index

This is a book for the general reader about Ireland's wildlife habitats. It explains how they are formed and what species of plant, insect, mammal and bird they typically contain, concentrating, in particular, on the way species colonize a habitat. Each chapter describes one habitat such as Dublin and its improbable plant and animal city dwellers; Cape Clear, its cliff habitats, flora and geological structure; and the mountains of Mourne, rising from the plain of County. The work is based on an eight-part RTV series, filmed by the author, shown in Ireland in spring 1988. The author is a naturalist, writer and film producer and his films have been shown on Irish, American and Scandinavian television, as well as by the BBC. He has also been awarded a Harkness Fellowship for studies on American conservation.