Jonesborough Woods all aflutter for Wildflower and Butterfly Hunt
The Ring of Gullion Partnership is asking you to share your love of wildflowers and butterflies and get involved in our fun butterfly and wildflower hunt in Jonesborough Woods on Friday 18th August starting at 12.00pm.
The Partnership is trying to count butterflies and wildflowers, because butterflies react very quickly to change in their environment which makes them excellent biodiversity indicators. Butterfly declines are an early warning for other wildlife losses. That’s why counting butterflies can be described as taking the pulse of nature.
Councillor Roisin Mulgrew, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council “Wildflowers provided much needed food for pollinators. Jonesborough has a number of habitats for butterflies and we will be trying to visit a few of these over the hunt. We will be starting in Jonesborough’s Wooded Wonderland behind the Pastoral Centre.”
“This hunt will also assist us in identifying trends in species that will help us plan how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understand the effect of climate change on wildlife.”
So join the Ring of Gullion Partnership, and our guides Oisín Duffy and Mairéad Crawford and see how many you can find!
To help you on the day, visit the event page to download a handy identification chart to help you work out which butterflies you have seen. You can send in your sightings online at www.bigbutterflycount.org or by using their FREE big butterfly count smartphone apps available for iOS and Android.
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