If you don't cut the grass so often, plants like Dandelion, Clovers, Vetches, Self-heal, Dog Daisy and Bird's-foot-trefoil will get a chance to flower. These are all fantastic sources of pollen and nectar for our bees and other insects. You can allow the whole lawn to flower, just have a patch or even cut summer swirls like this garden in County Offaly.

2. To spot this month: keep an eye out for the Common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)

Keep an eye out for this distinctive bumblebee. The top of the thorax is entirely covered in ginger hairs and it has some black hairs on the abdomen. 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

This one explains simple actions that can be taken on golf courses to make them more pollinator-friendly. We were delighted to collaborate with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland in developing this document. With over 300 clubs across the island, the impact golf courses could have is huge. If you've involved in a local club, please help by letting them know about these new guidelines https://pollinators.ie/new-guidelines-on-how-to-make-golf-courses-pollinator-friendly/

We have a new identification poster showing the 21 different types of bumblebees that occur on the island of Ireland. You can download it for free here https://pollinators.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SE-29-NBDC-Bee-Poster-2019_EMAIL.pdf

The Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme was established in 2011. It's a citizen science scheme run by the National Biodiversity Data Centre where volunteers agree to walk a fixed 1-2km route once a month and record how many bumblebees they see. New volunteers are always welcome! If you'd like to learn more about what is involved, you can watch this excellent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExCO4yM-bkg