Seize the opportunity to get to know your neighbours in the wild
NATIONAL Biodiversity Week was reduced to a two-day event this year due to the current Covid-19 restrictions but BioDiversity Ireland are calling on people to use the lockdown as an opportunity to examine and learn more about the creatures and plants that live in our gardens, fields and hedgerows.
To assist with this Kerry County Libraries have put together a set of resources to help people learn more about the flora, fauna and eco systems within a 5km radius of their homes. To access the library resources go to the kerrylibraries.ie website, select the news & events option in the menu and then select Kerry Biodiversity Week 2020.
Other sources of information include publications such as Flóra Chorca Dhuibhne which lists 370 species of flowering plants found in West Kerry. The Dingle Peninsula Bird Report (available from kerrybirding.blogspot.com and some shops locally) offers collections of information made by experts on the flora and birdlife of West Kerry.
According to BioDiversity Ireland the island of Ireland is home to 815 flowering plants, 80 native ferns, over 700 mosses and liverworts, 3,500 fungi, over 1,000 lichens, and 1,400 algae. We also share the island with 32 terrestrial mammals, 10 bat species, two species of seals, 24 whale and dolphin species, and 425 species of birds – half of which breed here. That is not to mention the earthworms and insects.
Meanwhile, at least three separate biodiverstiy projects are currently underway in West Kerry.
One of these is a sensory garden project at an Díseart, where the focus is on encouraging biodiversity. A range of native Irish plants will be planted in the garden and a section will be screened off for wildlife. Also, the day care facility of West Kerry Mental Health are also planning a biodiversity garden as is Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne.