Register now for our upcoming webinar -Plants of the Kerry Biosphere Reserve!
Join us and our speakers to learn about the plants you can find in woodlands, lake shores, grasslands and heaths of the Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Date of event: August 13th 2021
Time: starts at 7.30pm
Free to attend, registration required
Speakers:
Mary Sheehan, Conservation Ranger, NPWS
I am a National Parks and Wildlife Service conservation ranger based in Killarney National Park in the core of the Biosphere. I grew up helping out on the farm located on the Cork-Kerry border which gave me a great introduction to the flora of hay meadows, heaths and bogs. I qualified and worked also as an engineer and scientist and enjoy undertaking citizen science projects in my spare time. Some of my favourite flora which can be found in the Biosphere includes meadowsweet, blue-eyed grass and cuckoo-flower (lady’s smock), all found in the wet damp meadows. I love the summer-scent of meadowsweet in damp meadows which is a member of the rose family and to think how useful it was: to freshen up rooms; to flavour mead; and that aspirin was originally derived from this plant! Blue-eyed grass is a small bright blue iris found in damp areas and is considered to be native to Ireland as it was recorded here in 1845 but is more commonly found on the other side of the Atlantic and is Bermuda's national flower. I love the seeing the lilac cuckoo-flower/lady’s smock in spring that reminds me of walking through the fields and seeing a sea of white and lilac in one of fields with the orange tip butterflies rising like a waves in the meadow. In County Kerry, it was one of the May altar flowers and also one of the mayday flowers for the Manx festival of Oie Voaldyn1.
Jessica Hamilton, Botantist/Ecologist, BSBI
Jessica is a Botanist/ecologist, who is passionate about plants, invertebrates and photography. Jessica is currently working with Trinity College Dublin monitoring the permanent quadrats of old oak woodland in Killarney National Park. Jessica also works with the Botanical Society if Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and is group leader for the Kerry BSBI group.
Mary Toomey, Project Ecologist, MacGillycuddy Reeks EIP Project
Mary Toomey (BA, MSc, MIEEM) is the McGillycuddy Reeks EIP Project Ecologist. Currently she focusses on assessing the condition of heath and bog habitats on participant farmers’ lands and developing annual work plans to maintain and improve the nature conservation value of these habitats. Before working for the MacGillycuddy Reeks EIP, Mary worked as the Biodiversity Officer for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council where she was responsible for implementation of the Council’s biodiversity plan; providing ecological advice on council projects and development applications; liaising with the parks department to develop biodiversity friendly policies and actions for managing Council parks; as well as organising an annual biodiversity events programme. Prior to this she worked as an ecological consultant and for NGOs.
This webinar is funded by the Creative Ireland Kerry programme as part of the 'Our Planet, Your Biosphere' 2021 event series, encouraging community wellbeing through nature connection. Helping to connect communities to the natural heritage of the Kerry Biosphere Reserve.