Nonetheless, the wetland habitats of the Park are still fairly damp and some standing water is visible around the tree roots of the Carr woodland. Many of the plants which occur here are well adapted to coping with such wet conditions, but the some of the smaller animals must either move out or perish. The red deer can often be seen in the flooded woodlands and will also frequent the reed beds along the lake shores.

The main tree species which occur in the wet woodlands of Killarney are alder, willow and downy birch. When the water eventually recedes a species-rich field layer will be revealed composing of sedges, grasses and rushes, and flowers such as water mint, marsh bedstraw and meadow sweet.

In the other, drier woodlands, one of the first flowers to appear is the lesser celendine. More than two hundred years ago Gilbert White noted that the average first flowering of lesser celendine, close to his home in a Hampshire village, was the 21st February. This is still the time that celendines begin to bloom across much of southern England in a typical year, but in the more mild Killarney climate celendines have been flowering since mid January.

The celendine is a low growing perennial, which may reach a height of 5-30cm. It has shiny yellow flowers and can form extensive patches in woodlands, hedgerows, river banks and shady gardens. It has a variety of old names, which include, amongst others "spring messenger" and "pilewort". Some people used to believe that hanging the dried roots of celendine above cattle byres would induce greater yields of milk and it was even used medicinally to treat depression, gastritis, rheumatic pains and gall stones.

The male catkins of the grey willow and goat willow are one of the first and most distinctive flowers of the trees to appear. In January, when they initially break open from their buds they are grey, soft and furry, and are known in some places as "pussy willow". By March they become brilliant yellow and because, in some areas little else was in leaf or flower at this early season, spraysof "sally" have been frequently used as "palm" to decorate churches or to carry in processions at Eastertide.

There is a saying that spring has not arrived until you can cover nine daisy flowers with your foot. There is also a saying that spring has not arrived until you can cover a dozen daisy flowers with your foot and another that says only three. If there is some disagreement as to the requisite number of daisies, it is probably because there is hardly a day in the year (except in freezing weather) when there is not a daisy in flower somewhere.

Spring comes later to the mountains and hills than it does to the woodlands and hedgerows. One of the earliest signs is the tumbling flight of the raven, Irelands largest passerine. They breed throughout the National Park, from the lowlands to around 750m. In the lowlands, they utilise tall trees, particularly conifers, but all the highland nests are on crags. It is estimated that there are 10-15 pairs of raven breeding in the National Park. Their nest may be occupied as early as February. By the end of March the Greenland White fronted Geese have already left and the summer birds will begin to arrive.

It will be mid-May before the new green growth of the mountain grass will be very noticeable. A late spring, especially after a prolonged severe winter, preceded by a wet summer, is the time when deer mortality reaches its peak on the hills. Ironically, some die off just as the first greens appear. The diet of red deer in the National Park is said to consist of 50-70% grass, depending on the season and the location. Red deer are active by day and night but tend to feed, in about six bouts, mainly in the early morning and late in the evening. Stags shed their antlers each spring in March and April and a new set immediately begins to grow. The growing antler is covered with skin called velvet. when the antler growth is complete, the velvet dies and is cleaned off to reveal the bare bone of the antler. Young male calves begin to grow their first set of antlers at about six to eight months of age.

Visit again soon to find out whats happening in the Park during the next few months.