2. To spot this month: keep an eye out for the Red-tailed bumblebee

Keep an eye out for this very distinctive bumblebee. Females are jet black with a red tail and black hairs on their hind leg. You can find it in most habitats including gardens and parks. If you spot it please submit a record: 
https://records.biodiversityireland.ie/record/bumblebees

Burren in Bloom is an amazing festival that happens across the Burren each June. This year we are delighted to collaborate with the festival which will have a special focus on pollinators. There are lots of walks, talks and events over the three days - most free to attend. Hope to see some of you there!
https://www.burreninbloom.com/

We were delighted to be at the launch of the Fingal County Council Bee Postive garden at Bloom in the Phoenix Park last week (photograph above). To date, 10 Councils across the island have formally signed up as partners of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, With almost a quarter on board already, we hope that more Councils will follow over the coming months https://pollinators.ie/councils/

The Irish Examiner covered the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan very extensively in May. This included a beautiful 32-page brochure and a poster to mark World Bee Day on the 22nd May. We are very grateful for their help in spreading the message. They have a another great article in today's paper on how farmers can help pollinators: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/specialreports/creating-a-buzz-about-diversity-will-benefit-all-928527.html