Cork City Council Invites Public to Discover Moths and Pollinators at Two Summer Workshops
Two Cork workshops on moths and pollinators this summer: Morning with Moths on 27 June and a Citizen Science session on 3 July.
Cork City Council and the Cork Biodiversity Hub are joining forces with several national conservation bodies to run two public workshops this summer, inviting the public to explore native moths and pollinators. The ticketed sessions take place on Saturday 27 June in Ballincollig and Friday 3 July at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience.
The workshops are being delivered in partnership with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the Irish Bee Conservation Project, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and The Heritage Council.
The first event, Morning with Moths, takes place on Saturday 27 June as part of Insect Week, led by Dr Tim Butter of the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The session will introduce participants to the diversity of moth species found locally and their importance in healthy ecosystems.
Those attending will get to examine moths trapped overnight, learn how they are identified, and see them released safely back into their habitats.
Rosemarie McDonald, Biodiversity Officer with Cork City Council:
"We are really looking forward to welcoming people of all ages to the Cork Biodiversity Hub to discover the hidden world of moths right on our doorstep.
So often overlooked, moths are incredible night-time pollinators, and with over 1,500 species in Ireland, there's so much to learn and explore.
This workshop is a great chance for the Ballincollig community to come together, get curious about local wildlife, and pick up simple ideas for making our gardens more welcoming for these important species"
The following Friday, 3 July, Cork City's Biodiversity Officers have organised a Citizen Science Workshop with guest speaker Dr Signe Martin of the Irish Bee Conservation Project. The workshop will highlight how to take part in nature surveys covering pollinators, wildflowers, birds and mammals.
It will also underline how important community involvement is to local biodiversity conservation, aiming to empower individuals and community groups to make meaningful contributions to both local and national biodiversity surveys.
Usna Keating, Cork City Council Biodiversity Officer:
"Being involved in Citizen Science, is an opportunity to learn to identify and appreciate species diversity and take more notice of the species around us.
By knowing and recording the species that exist in an area, we learn about the importance of different areas, in supporting nature, and can see and compare the changes in biodiversity in our locality over time.
This knowledge can allow more measures to be taken to support rare and declining species."
Morning with Moths runs from 9am to 10:30am on Saturday 27 June at the Cork Biodiversity Hub, Ballincollig, Co. Cork, P31 PX67. The Cork City Citizen Science Workshop follows from 10am to 1pm on Friday 3 July at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience, Cork, T23 N828.
Both events are ticketed and places are limited. Tickets for Morning with Moths and the Citizen Science Workshop can be booked online, and with capacity capped, anyone hoping to 'bee' there is advised to act quickly.
