Biodiversity

The group has always run events on nature, the environment and sustainability with a range of walks and talks on topics from our birds and trees, our bats, streams and seashore, as well as workshops on climate change, composting and making leaf mould. And reducing food waste and plastics.

In 2020, we were able to hold some of these in person (subject to COVID restrictions on numbers and distancing) but others had to be on Zoom – but no less fascinating for that.

We also started implementing some of the many recommendations the well-known ecologist Roger Goodwillie made in his Monkstown Village Biodiversity Report Nov 2019 which examined eight green areas around the village. With grant and practical help from DLRCC, we worked with local residents to plant 4000 bulbs in Vesey Park and, earlier in March, started on a major bank of pollinators at the foot of a wall beside Monkstown Castle by planting hawthorn whips. (There’ll be several more plantings there throughout 2021.) These should be a great sight for us all in 2022.

We have a programme of family events planned for 2021 starting with a very down-to-earth workshop on planting pollinators followed by two nature sessions in April, one on birdsong and another on butterflies and ladybirds. These will be followed by many others over the summer from bats to mammal tunnels and stream dipping ending up with one of fungi in October.

Full details and how to book will be given on our What’s On page & our social media. We hope it won’t be too long before we’re able to hold in-person sessions. In that case we’ll have a booking system in place where we give priority to our paid-up members (last year’s sessions were all booked out quickly).

We’d also love to hear from anyone with any special interest or knowledge on any aspect of nature or biodiversity which they’d like to share. Or from anyone who’s seen something puzzling or interesting.

Just mail us at nature@monkstownvillage.ie and we’ll get back to you.

And by the way, if you just want to get on with things, there are plenty of brilliant sources of information about pollinators. Have a look at:

“Gardening for Biodiversity”, a lovely 40-page easy-to-follow booklet from the Department of Heritage via Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Co. Council is available to download

There is also a super webinar to go with it, courtesy of Limerick Co. Council. More useful videos based on the book produced by Laois Co. Council can be found here.

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has a huge range of resources. Of particular use for domestic gardens, take a look at their guidelines for gardens and seasonal plant lists.

And let us know how you get on!

Monkstown Castle planting.

Local families are planting trees, shrubs and flowers for our birds and bees at Monkstown Castle. We’re grateful to DLR Parks Department who prepared the ground for us and helped us with advice and encouragement. This initiative is co-funded by a Heritage Grant from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.