Newry Mourne and Down District Council’s Ring of Gullion team has joined forces with Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland to provide two training sessions on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 May in Slieve Gullion Forest Park.
Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland’s Moth Verifier, Andy Crory, will be running the moth workshop on the evening of Friday 5 May. He is a knowledgeable and experienced moth recorder and this will be a fascinating insight into mothing with top tips on site selection, recording know-how and species identification.
This event is a unique opportunity to learn from one of our top enthusiasts in one of our most special locations in the Ring of Gullion. There will also be some moth traps available to borrow on the night, so you can put your new skills into practice. The traps will be reviewed the next morning on Saturday 6 May to discover all the creatures inside.
On Saturday 6 May, there will be a free training workshop on how to identify and record the Cryptic Wood White Butterfly. This shy butterfly is a newly-recognised species found in Ireland and we’re keen to learn more about its distribution. There is growing acknowledgement of the importance of biodiversity in the wider countryside and butterfly populations are an excellent way to monitor the health of an environment.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Gillian Fitzpatrick said: “We have organised this information session to help identify the Cryptic wood white from the other white species of butterflies to look at their habitat requirements and to survey for them.”
“We’ll split the time between indoors learning about the species and outdoors to put our new-found skills to the test.”
By getting people out surveying for this butterfly, the Ring of Gullion team will be able to help produce an index for this species which will contribute to both the Irish and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Schemes.
For more information and to confirm your attendance visit:
