So it’s been a while since I updated you on what I’ve been up out in the Wild West, so here’s how things have been going! The weathers been all over the place but it has got a wee bit warmer (although it’s just got cold again now!). Warmer weather means all my favourite creatures start to come out of the woodwork and those are the ones I want to tell everyone about!
Let’s start off with when I went to St Ronans primary school in Lisnaskea to try and change their perception towards moths and tell them about the Big Butterfly Count! Now I’ll start off by telling you that I love moths, a lot, so it was genuinely a dream to be able to give a talk about how brilliant and diverse and beautiful they are. We covered what butterflies and moths are, why they are important and how there is very little difference between them. I then debunked every misconception they had about these awesome creatures. “Moths are dull aren’t they?……Nope!” Then a picture of a six spot burnet or a brimstone pops on the screen and they don’t believe that it’s not a butterfly. I then handed out a load of the moths I had caught in my trap so they could see them in the flesh. A cinnabar, a green silver lines, a small magpie, names they all love as much as the incredible things they are now holding! Then to finish off I showed round the poster boy of the moth world, an elephant hawk moth. The room was silent except for the occasional gasp, a mix of fear and awe of something that would look more at home in a jungle than your back garden! They loved it and I wholeheartedly believe I changed their mind about moths. They love it when I come in to the school because that means something exciting is going to happen. I’ll be back in the Autumn to tell them about barn owls and I can’t wait!
Iv been on a few more training courses too. The most recent was on grassland herbs which turns out includes everything in a grassland except grasses or sedges. I learnt so much about identifying orchids and wildflowers but also about reading the landscape from the flora. I got to see a few new species too like Twayblade and Frog orchid. This will definitely help me in the future both for my own use but also for me to pass on that knowledge to others for example in one of the wildflower walks I have planned later this month.
One of the projects I have been working with very closely since beginning my traineeship is Ulster Wildlifes magnificent meadows project. I’ve been helping with everything from spreading the word of the project at local events, recruiting volunteers, and even GIS mapping! Recently I helped out with a pilot botanical survey of some of the projects meadows. This was an opportunity for me to get some survey experience but also to teach identification skills to the other magnificent meadows volunteers. I learnt a lot and think everybody else did too. Most recently I supported the projects National Meadows day event at Monastery Meadows in the centre of Enniskillen. This gave us the opportunity to talk to the local community and show them the work that we have been doing right in the middle of the town. Families came in to pick posies of meadow flowers, we identified moths with kids and chased frogs and damselflies. One young girl even made her own species list from the day! I talked to local people about wildlife they had seen and helped them identify flowers in the meadow. Everyone’s enthusiasm for the project was great and you could tell they felt better having come in to see the meadow and learn about it.
I am just starting a placement with the National trust at Crom estate, one of the best wildlife conservation sites in the country. I’ll be helping with interpretation, environmental education, social media and recruiting volunteers from the local area, bringing them closer to the amazing place they have on their doorstep. So there will be plenty more to come! Here’s a birds nest orchid I found on my first day to say goodbye!