31/05/2026
Last week, our NNI volunteer Jordan attended the Loughrea BioBlitz — and what an event it was! 🌿🦔
BioBlitzes are one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding the natural world around us. In the space of just a few days, scientists, students, and everyday people come together to record every living species they can find in a given area. The data collected feeds into biodiversity research, helps identify species under threat, and builds a living record of our ecosystems that can be tracked and compared over time. Simply put: you can't protect what you don't know is there.
The Loughrea BioBlitz was organised and sponsored by environmental consultants MKO and involved the University of Galway. ATU students, primary school children, residents, the Loughrea mayor, Loughrea Tiny Towns and Galway County's Biodiversity Officer all came together with one shared purpose. Participants logged their findings on iNaturalist, and by Sunday, the Loughrea team had recorded an incredible 531 species and 1,195 observations. 🎉
This is exactly the kind of community science that makes a difference. Well done to everyone involved — and to Jordan for being part of it! 💚
Photos
1.Setting up mammal trap
2.Small mammal ink pot
3.Hedgehog pawprints
4.Ochre Snake millipede
5.Cuckoo Flowers
6.Bee mimic fly
7.Wolf Spider
8.Barrel millipede
Photo credits are Jordan Waltz and Elaine O Riordan ( Hedgehog pawprints)
