Tag Archives: pollinators

Great Yellow Bumblebee Project

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This year, I have been lucky to be working for the Great Yellow Bumblebee Project. The Great Yellow Bumblebee is Ireland’s rarest bees and it occurs on the Mullet Peninsula and Erris coastal mainland of County Mayo in the west of Ireland.

Great Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus)

We have been working with farmers looking at how best we can manage fields in a way that provides lots of flowers for all types of pollinators. This area of County Mayo is stunningly beautiful, and supports a unique flower-rich habitat called Machair.

Machair grassland

Machair is traditionally been used as winter grazing, which has benefitted the wildflowers that grow here and in turn these areas support a wealth of insects including pollinators.

Machair grassland

We find lots of different bees. And finding the the rarest of them all, the Great Yellow Bumblebee, brings deep satisfaction.

Great Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus)

Other rare and vulnerable bee species can also be found in this special place.

Many thanks to Ann-Christine for providing inspiration for this post – LAPC #214 Favourite Finds

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #213 – Here Comes the Sun

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This week Amy asks is to explore the sun.

I love the sun on water, the way it makes it shimmer and shine.

Achill island from Doohoma, Co Mayo

Without the sun we would not have plants. This one is a native Irish plant called the perennial sow-thistle. But I like to think of it as our own sunflower. They are tall plants – from 80 cm up to 150 cm with these glorious yellow heads and they are loved by bees and other pollinators.

Perennial sow-thistle

With the sun, comes shadows and butterflies too of course.

Wall brown butterfly

And without the sun we wouldn’t have sunsets.

Sunset

Many thanks to Amy for this week’s lovely challenge.