💜National Heritage Week 2026💜

*Job Vacancy* The Irish Peatland Conservation Council are now accepting applications for the position of Conservation and Education Officer. Full details can be found by visiting www.ipcc.ie. Deadline for applications 21st August 2026.

National Biodiversity is finally here! Check out the event the IPCC are hosting throughout the week 🐞🐛🌿 For more information visit www.ipcc.ie/events/ or biodiversityweek.ie

Over the weekend, the IPCC attended the Native Species Festival at Dublin Zoo to celebrate Ireland’s incredible wildlife and the people working to protect it! We met loads of people who had an interest in native Irish species, peatlands, and conservation work 🦋 #lovebogs #peatlands #nativespecies

Irish bogs host three types of carnivorous sundews; the Round‑leaved Sundew, Intermediate Sundew and Long‑leaved Sundew. These plants use sticky tentacles to trap and digest insects, gaining vital nutrients missing from nutrient‑poor peatlands. Photos: Long-leaved Sundew and Round-leaved Sundew.

Witnessed a special moment at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre today - dragonfly emergence! Larvae climb from the water, transform into teneral adults, and slowly harden their wings for first flight. Watch waterside plants in the coming weeks for more of these fascinating events. #lovebogs #dragonfly

This pretty little plant is known as a Bog Bean 🩷 It can be found from March to June in shallow waters, fens, bogs, and slow‑flowing water along canals. It has five unique star‑shaped petals that are white or pink, with a notable long white hairs fringed across the petals.

The Speckled Wood is one of the first butterflies you’ll see in April. Identified by its brown wings with cream speckles and eyespots on the hindwings. They flutter through dappled sunshine in hedgerows and woodlands. Spring sunshine brings them out early, so keep your eyes open on your next walk 🦋

World Curlew Day takes place on Tuesday, the 21st of April this year, and to celebrate the day, the IPCC will be hosting a free "Bog Walk and Talk". The event will take place at 11am on the 21st of April, and we will meet at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare, R51 V293

The 1st of April marked the beginning of the Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme run by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. During our first survey, we recorded one butterfly - a Brimstone. The Brimstone butterfly can be identified by its large yellow‑green, leaf‑shaped wings 🦋 @heritagecouncil.ie

To support the work of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council you can join us as a 'Friend of the Bog' or you can gift a subscription to someone you know 🎁 Join today through our website at www.ipcc.ie #lovebogs #peatlands #nature

Happy World Frog Day 🐸🌍 Some fantastic images from submitted 'Hop To It' Frog survey submissions! #lovebogs #frogs #worldfrogday

The assessment of the bogland species included in the Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species of Ireland 2025 report, all species are deemed in Favourable Status with Trends of Stable or Increasing, showing that the bogland species are stable even though their habitats are in poorer conditions.

The winter water monitoring and fresh water invertebrate surveys are now complete, finishing off this period with a trip to Girley Bog NHA💧 We were also lucky to identify multiple frog spawning spots while on the reserve 🐸 #lovebogs #peatlands

The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland 2025 has highlighted that the status of peatland habitats in Ireland are deemed as Bad and their Trends are classed as Deteriorating, with 6/8 declining. Pressures peatlands including drainage, peat extraction and afforestation.

The IPCC together with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands hosted a conference titled 'Futureproofing Ireland's Peatlands: Dutch Lessons in Restoration' at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre and Lodge Bog Reserve. IPCC would like to thank all those who joined us for this conference. #LoveBogs

IPCC have observed the autumn caterpillars of Europes only protected butterfly, the marsh fritillary on Lullymore West. The IPCC and volunteers will now conduct a habitat assessment and larval nest count, this data will contribute to the nationwide population monitoring. #LoveBogs

Wildlife Gardening DIY Tips 🦔🪵 Leave a small pile of stones, sticks and logs in a corner of your garden to provide a home for hedgehogs. Rotting wood also provides shelter for a range of insects and fungi. So you don't clear away fallen leaves or branches; they will make a cosy home for someone!

Wildlife Gardening Tips 🐦🌳 Encourage birds into your garden by providing water and feeding them in winter with bird feeders. They enjoy seed mixes and mealworms. However, do not give them high energy foods during the spring and summer months, as it can interfere with the growth of their chicks. 🪺

Wildlife Gardening DIY Tips 🐸🦦 💦A Water Feature💦 A pond in your garden will introduce aquatic creatures and plants and attract many passing wildlife visitors to drink and bathe in the water. The larger the pond, the greater the diversity of wildlife living in it will be.

Wildlife Gardening DIY Tips Start a compost heap 🪱 This is a great way to recycle the nutrients in your garden and help birds. Of the peat moss harvested in Ireland, 66% is used by amateur gardener. So if you are buying compost, make sure that it is peat-free to combat the destruction of peatlands

Wildlife Gardening DIY Tips Ivy 🍃 This plant is surprisingly helpful in attracting a range of wildlife. Encourage it to produce flowering stems by pulling the shoots away from their support so that they hang free. The flowers will attract butterflies which feed on their nectar.

The Bog of Allen Nature Centre was the venue for an NBDC butterfly monitoring training facilitated by Jesmond Harding of Butterfly Conservation Ireland. After an informative talk, participants got outdoors and put their new theory into practice with a visit to Lullybeg nature reserve.

Wildlife Gardening Tips One of the best things for your garden is plant native plants and trees. Thistle, hawthorn, ivy and oak are some of the plants that provide seeds and shelter for animals and birds. Native wildflowers like clover, wood sorrel and meadow flowers help support pollinators.

How do I make a Wildlife Garden? 🦋🦔🐞 Wildlife gardening actually requires the minimum amount of maintenance. Diversity is the Key: The more diverse your garden is in terms of different plants and features and habitats then the more likely you are to attract a great variety of wildlife.

A big shout out to our volunteers for their amazing work over the last few weeks! 💚 There has been amazing progress in the gardens at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre already this summer. Our volunteers have been planting native wildflower beds in peat-free compost to encourage more pollinators.

🌍 It's World Peatland Day! Did you know peatlands cover around 3% of the global land surface but play a huge role in fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity? They provide us important services such as: 🌱 Carbon Storage, 💧 Flood Mitigation, and 🦋 A refuge to Wildlife!

ipcc.ie

Free Bat Walk Event!🦇 Join us for a fun and informative evening of bat hunting. This is a great chance to get outside and discover some of Irelands wildlife that you would not always hear or see. 🤎Meet at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre 🤎20th June- 9:30 pm

Our new ID swatches have arrived! 📑 We made great use of our identification swatches for National Biodiversity Week, where volunteers discovered plenty of butterflies and dragonflies. These amazing resources from the NBDC, ensure that you are always able to identify any creepy crawly 🐝

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council had a busy biodiversity week, and we would like to say a big thank you to all who participated in our events 🐝🐸 . As Biodiversity Week has drawn to a close for 2025, don't forget to value Ireland's biodiversity throughout the year!