Today, on Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about love—not the flimsy Hallmark kind, but the deeper, powerful love that inspires action. French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once said:
"We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand, and we only understand what we are taught."
In that spirit, we sat down earlier this morning to talk about nature, curiosity, paying attention, deepening connections, and love as motivation to protect what matters to us.
Jo Anne:
I'll start - What is something you grew to love after you learned more about it?
Gearoid:
My love for native and ancient forests grew from playing in them and learning about them. As a child, my cousins and I played in the woods—a forest on my grandparents’ land. I remember as a young child noticing how different parts of the forest and bogs felt. As a group of cousins we instinctively knew how to distinguish wild areas from those altered by people. Because the best places to explore were always the untouched, natural ones.
In contrast, planted and managed areas of that land —the Sitka spruce plantations, drained bogs, and manicured spaces near houses—felt lifeless. I was always curious about this, which led me to want to learn more about native forestry. And the more I learned the more I loved them.
A dark, plantation of Sitka Spruce
How about you? What have you grown to love the more you’ve learned about it?
JB:
The more I learn about the Machair, the more I love it.
I’m fascinated by wildflower habitats and the simple question—why does this plant grow here? The Machair is so responsive and nuanced, yet almost invisible at first glance. Many of its flowers are tiny; you have to get down on your hands and knees to truly see them. I love that.
GM:
You love going to the beach, then coming home to look things up in your favourite books—even when I remind you there’s an app for that! You prefer books.
Who are some writers or programme makers that you look up to?
JB:
I admire people whose passion for their subject jumps off the page or screen.
Back to Jacques Cousteau - he made the underwater accessible, inspiring people without jargon. Some academics criticised him for not being scientific enough, but he brought the ocean’s mysteries to everyone.
I love Robert Lloyd Praeger’s The Way That I Went in the same way. I loved Eamonn De Buitléir’s programmes, and The Wildflowers of Ireland remains my favourite book on habitats.
Who do you think is doing a great job today of telling nature’s stories in a way that connects with people?
GM:
The way we talk about nature shapes how we connect with it. Manchán Magan explains that while language can’t change reality, it can change how we perceive it.
His books show how Ireland’s landscape and weather shaped our language and culture. In turn, the Irish language shaped how we see the world and our place in it. When we lost the language, we lost a way of describing our connection to nature. His books help us rediscover that link in a way that feels natural and easy to understand.
I also think about illustration’s role in storytelling. Elsa Beskow’s books capture the mystery and magic of nature, inviting us to see the world through her eyes.
And then there’s Tristan Gooley—one of those teachers who makes you pay attention. He sees nature as a big, interconnected puzzle and teaches you how to read it.
Nature has so many tells, but if we aren’t looking for them, we miss them.
JB
What do you think is a common misconception about learning about the natural world?
GM:
We tend to value specialists over generalists and storytellers.
People often focus on one narrow field and miss the bigger picture. I’m drawn to the broader stories—how species and habitats interact. We need more people, like Robin Wall Kimmerer, who weave these rich, interconnected stories about nature and culture.
JB:
I think I'm still overcoming my own misconception that studying nature means memorising names.
I avoided botany in university because I thought I’d struggle with that. As a visual, spatial learner, I studied architecture—man-made habitats—because I mostly think visually in drawings, patterns, and diagrams.
Names were a barrier for me. I wish there was more focus on observing and drawing to understand nature, rather than just naming species.
Back to love—what part of nature do you wish we loved more?
GM:
My answer is always going to be our underwater world.
I’d love for us to pay more attention to what’s happening in our oceans, rivers, and lakes. Most of the Earth’s surface is water, but if we can’t see it, we don’t understand or protect it—out of sight, out of mind.
Too often, this invisibility is exploited. We pollute and dump waste underwater with little consequence.
Salmon farming mostly happens far out at sea, hidden from view. I’d rather see it moved to land in closed systems, where it can be properly managed. As it stands, these farms are major polluters, harming other species while we look the other way.
JB:
Earlier, we talked about curiosity and learning.
What are we not curious enough about? What don’t we pay attention to?
I suppose you’ve already answered that—our blind spot is the underwater world, hidden far out at sea...
GM:
But when I think about it an even bigger blind spot is time itself. We grow complacent about change.
Insect biodiversity is declining. Species are vanishing. There are far fewer insects on our windscreens than 30 or even 15 years ago. Mackerel and wild salmon numbers are collapsing.
Our biggest failure is normalising this gradual loss. We even have a phrase for it—"the new normal"—such an awful, telling expression.
JB:
When you think of Ireland’s land, where could we focus our love and attention to make a real difference?
GM:
When you fly over Ireland, the land below is a patchwork of bright green fields—a sight we love to celebrate.
Yet we rarely talk about these vast fields of grass as a sterile monoculture, almost like an open-air factory. What about you?
JB:
Manicured lawns are another example—wiping out biodiversity right around our homes.
It’s a strange trend, purely decorative, almost a belief system. We’ve become so disconnected from the wild that we chase an idea of tidy that’s actually barren and unnatural.
What do you love most about creating this journal?
GM:
Observing.
Photographing places for the Journal makes me notice how they change over time.
Just before Storm Eowyn, I spent a morning capturing trees in the fog—one was a massive, 150- to 200-year-old horse chestnut from a big house.
Four days later, the storm blew it down. It had been there all my life, and suddenly, it was gone.
Recording these moments matters. It helps us witness the transformations happening around us.
JB:
I’d say storytelling—sharing and reading stories is how we’ve learned about our world for generations. It’s a simple way to show love.
Like when our children are all finally asleep, we stay up sharing stories about the funny things they did that day.
Know, love, protect! - that is actually our tagline, and a founding part of our Superfolk ethos. It's even written on the wall in our studio.
GM:
Know, Love, Protect. It reminds me that the more I learn, the clearer my relationship becomes—whether with a person, a species, a forest, or even a material I’m working with.
I love understanding how things are made and how they work—that curiosity shapes my connection to the world. In nature, seeing how everything fits together makes me cherish it.
And when something I admire is threatened, I feel compelled to protect it.
JB:
Know, Love, Protect motivates me.
With climate change and species loss, science can feel overwhelming, even paralyzing. I have to believe that deepening people’s connection to nature—helping them truly love and marvel at its intricate design—will inspire them to protect it.
So to finish, let's put forward three simple actions people can take today to show their LOVE and protect nature.
- Don’t buy farmed salmon! Take open-caged farmed salmon off the table.
- Don’t use weedkiller! Ban it.
- Eat less meat! Choose a diet that supports biodiversity.
ps. Holding on to romance in a sometimes trying world ... You've been my favourite for a long time
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