Limerick Branch Update

We finished up our field outings for 2022 with a fungi foray in Cratloe Woods in October. This was led by our fungi expert Dr. Tom Harrington. Cratloe Woods is a regular haunt of fungi foragers but care has to be taken to recognise the death cap and a few other poisonous species which are common in these and other local woods.

At the IWT Limerick Branch, we have established a working relationship with the Geography Department of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick as a venue for talks over the winter months. Our first speaker in October was Dr Liam Lysaght of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, who gave us an overview of the changes in the populations of Ireland’s butterflies – not good news unfortunately! The Biodiversity Centre relies on volunteers doing surveys in their localities to establish trends over many years, so do consider joining one of their schemes. Our speaker in November was Dave Lyons, the District Conservation Officer with NPWS, who spoke on ‘Limerick’s Birds, Bats and Bogs’. It was heartening to meet an enthusiastic and experienced local conservation ranger – long may the NPWS prosper!

For the spring we have lined up a number of speakers including Sinead McDonnell from the Limerick City and

County Council heritage office, who works to promote biodiversity with many groups, including Tidy Towns committees. We are planning a series of field outings for the spring and summer, starting in April with exploring King’s Island in the city for the summer snowflake, a beautiful native plant, which looks like a kind of cross between garlic and snowdrop. We will also have a public event in Curraghchase Woods for Biodiversity

Week in May, focusing on insects, in particular dragonflies and butterflies and there is lots more in the pipeline.