Upcoming Events
Biodiversity Walk and Cyanotyping Workshop – 5th October 2024
On Saturday morning we spent some time foraging for suitable natural materials such as ferns, leaves and wildflowers around Trim. These specimens were identified using identification books such as ‘Collins Complete Irish Wildlife’ by Paul Sterry. We then brought the material to a booked space in Trim library to create cyanotypes.
Take a look at more of our creations here
Kayak trip: River Boyne, Trim – 29th September 2024
Group members organised a kayak trip of the River Boyne in Trim through Boyne Valley Activities. The business owner, James Murray, shared knowledge of the River Boyne, its hydromorphology, how it has changed, its history and its biodiversity.
Local birdwatcher, Terence Cassisy, of Birdwatch Ireland Meath Branch, joined this session and shared his expertise on avian life in our local waters.
Although very cold, everyone enjoyed the learning experience in the different context.
Visit Boyne Vally Activities website to book your own kayaking trip on the River Boyne in Trim! – https://boynevalleyactivities.ie/
Biodiversity Walk – 8th September 2024
Attendees spent approximately an hour identifying trees, shrubs, wildflowers and insects in the vicinity. We identified a number of different species.
Species identified in just one hour included:
- London Plane (Platanus x hispanica)
- Sycamore (Acer pseudoplanus)
- Downy Birch (Betula pubescens)
- Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)
- Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
- Silver Birch (Betula pendula)
- Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
- Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Materials for this event were funded by the NPWS Small Recorders Grant
Biodiversity Walk – 21st July 2024
Attendees spent approximately an hour identifying trees, shrubs, wildflowers and insects in the vicinity.
We identified a number of different species including:
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
- Herb Robert (Gernaium robertianum)
- Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
- Dewberry (Rubus caesius)
- Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
- Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)
- Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
- Horse Chestnut Tree (Aesculus hippocastanum)
- Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
- Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Materials for this event were funded by the NPWS Small Recorders Grant
Bat Walk -19th July 2024
At 10pm on a Friday evening, 20 attendees gathered for a bat walk along the River Boyne, Trim. Scott Bastow, bat ecologist, created a walk and talk specially designed for the group of beginners in Trim. Scott informed the group on the basics of our Irish bat species and demonstrated how to use the heterodynes (bat frequency readers) which he provided.
We walked along an unlit section of the River Boyne and identified 5 different bat species (There are a total of 9 bat species found in Ireland!).
This event was thoroughly enjoyed by all and saw high demand so it is definitely an event we would like to host again in the future!
Learn more about Ireland’s Bat Species here
Species identified on this walk included:
- Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus 45kHz)
- Myotis Bat species (Myotis sp.)
- Daubenton’s Bat (Myotis daubentoni)
- Lesser Noctule (Nyctalus leisleri)
- Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus 55kHz)
This event was funded by the NPWS Small Recorders Grant.
Biodiversity Walk – 7th July 2024
This event was organised and hosted by myself. We spent approximately an hour identifying trees, shrubs, wildflowers and insects in the vicinity.
We identified a number of different species including:
- Hoary Willowherb (Epilobium parviflorum)
- Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
- Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)
- White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucroum)
- Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Materials for this event were funded by the NPWS Small Recorders Grant
Dragonfly and Damselfly Identification Workshop – 29th June 2024
This event was hosted by National Biodiversity Data Centre and Meath County Council Biodiversity Office. The workshop looked at educating attendees on the features used to identify Ireland’s Dragonfly and Damselfly species, how to survey for them, where to find them, and helpful suggestions on identification resources.
The last 2 hours of the workshop was based at Rathbeggan Lakes where we identified 3 different species of damselfly and gained a greater understanding on the key identification features to look out for.
Species we identified included:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
Learn about more of these events taking place here
This event was funded by the NPWS Small Recorders Grant.
Wildflower Walk -16th June 2024
Connecting Trim to Nature’s 1st wildflower walk was a big success with new members learning how to use the ‘Wildlfowers of Ireland’ guidebook by Zoe Devlin.
Species identified in just one hour included:
- Hoary Willowherb (Epilobaum parviflorum)
- Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis)
- Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber)
- Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)
- Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- White Clover (Trifolium repens)
- Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
- Elder (Sambucus niger)
- Bush Vetch (Vicia sepium)
- Ivy-Leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis)
- Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
- Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
- Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
- Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum)
- Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)
- Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
- Smooth Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
- Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
Dawn Chorus Walk – 9th June 2024
Early Sunday morning the 9th June, the first Connecting Trim to Nature event took place. Trim’s Dawn Chorus walk along the River Boyne was hosted by local birdwatcher Terence Cassidy. This was the first walk of this kind to take place in Trim and was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
Birds identified included:
- Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
- Jackdaws (Corvus monedula)
- Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
- Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)
- Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
- Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
- Sand martins (Riparia riparia)
- House martin (Delichon urbica)
- Swifts (Apus apus)
- Sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
- Ravens (Corvus corax)
- Grey heron (Ardea cinera)
- Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
- Blackbird (Turdus merula)
- Herring gull (Larus argentatus)
- Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)