Unfortunately we have had to cancel our creative writing workshop scheduled for Thursday July 17th. The workshop was due to be a follow on from our first workshop hosted by Killarney Library on Thursday July 3rd. We had a a very interesting group in attendance on the 3rd and we shared stories and ideas about the creative writing process and our own favourite authors and books.
The Biosphere's 'Our Wild Woodlands' booklet is coming along nicely and is already awash with short stories and poems. We have not yet added illustrations as we haven't appointed an illustrator. Biosphere Officer Brendan Kirwan tried periously to create some illustrations for inclusion in the booklet, alas the illustrations Brendan created were well below par and have since been sidelined!
We are delighted to collaborate with Killarney Library once again. We will be hosting a Creative Writing workshop in the library on Thursday 3rd of July at 10:45am, all are welcome. The workshop will be focussing on Kerry's wild woodlands and will be hosted by the Biosphere Officer, Bredan Kirwan.
The Kerry Biosphere was delighted to team up with Kerry County Council to prepare biodiversity themed tables at libraries throughout the County. Participating libraries included Castleisland, Dingle, Killarney, Killorglin, and Listowel. Biodiversity themed literature, skate and ray egg cases, oak salplings, and native broadleaves were proudly displayed in each library.
The grassland at Killarney Library is looking healthy and has not been mown in May. Dandelion and Catsears dominate the grass with Red Clover, Yarrow, Daisies, and Mouse Ear frequently occurring. The sun crept out for a short period in the early afternoon and the presence of Bumblebees and Honeybees was very noticeable at the library.
Biodiversity Week 2025 has been and gone, time flies as usual. The glorious weather continued for the most part and we enjoyed bright sunny weather. Much needed rain arrived and the floral species in the Biosphere soaked up some much needed moisture. Meanwhile, indoors, the Kerry Biosphere and Kerry County Council teamed up to provide biodiversity themed information tables at libraries throughout the County.
With this Mediterranean like weather, it is a great chance to observe our varied invertebrates. A personal favourite of mine are Dragonflies. Dragonflies are associated with wetland habitats such as bogs, ponds, and lakes. We do not have any wetlands in our garden, however we get commuting Dragonflies resting on our patio and stone walls.
With the brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures, it has been a great period for our pollinators. At home, we have adopted 'No Mow May' which has yielded tall strands of Ragged Robin, Buttercups, and Daisies. We have supplemented our garden species with the planting of flowers to further provide a food source for pollinators.
Now that we are in the summer months, our flora is blooming. It is easy to see just why Hawthorn is also known as Whitethorn, Gorse brings a brilliant yellow as does Yellow Flag Iris, whilst Ragged Robin, Red Valerian, and Foxglove provide beautiful shades of pink. It is also easy to see our non-native invasive species during this time of year.
Our spell of fine weather continues to wash the landscape with colour and life. Summer's paintbrush has glossened the grasslands with pinks and yellows, blues and whites. The early bloomers like Daffodils and Primrose were the first to bring colour after our winter. Now we have brilliant pink from Ragged Robin, deep purple from Early Purple Orchids and wonderful yellows in our Buttercups and impressive Yellow Flag Iris.
