Irish Elk - Ireland

The land bridge connecting Britain to the European mainland was severed 6,500 years ago, but Ireland had broken off from Britain several thousands years earlier. This allowed only some species from the mainland to cross the land bridge. Snakes, being slower in colonizing new areas, did not have time to cross into Ireland.

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Megaloceros giganteus - The Irish elk appeared 400,000 years ago and could be found from Ireland to Siberia and into Northern Africa. It stood over 2 meters at the shoulders and carried a rack of antlers with a spread of over 3.5 meters, the largest of any known cervid. With massive antlers and long powerful legs, the elk could out run or successfully face the few predators daring to challenge. The Irish elk became extinct 8,000 years ago. It could not escape early human hunters nor the environmental issues occurring in the Late Pleistocene.

Red Clover - Ireland

Trifolium pratense - Red clover belongs to the Fabaceae family, the bean family. It is native to Europe, but cultivated throughout the world as a forage plant for livestock and poultry. It is an effective plant used in crop rotation; the red clover helps to restore nitrogen depleted soil. Red clover flowers from May to September and contributes to maintaining bee populations by producing abundant sources of nectar and pollen. Butterflies and other pollinating insects are also drawn to the plant.

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King Henry VIII sought to regain control of Ireland in 1536, and by 1542, had himself crowned as king of Ireland. The Acts of Union, passed in 1800, incorporated Ireland into the United Kingdom. Ireland remained under British domination until 1922, when the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, granting home rule to Ireland; Great Britain retained six counties as Northern Ireland. In 1949, Ireland formally became a republic, a move to end the constitutional role of the British monarchy in Irish affairs.