June saw the Mersey Rivers Trust and the Bollin Valley Partnership hold the annual Bioblitz on the River Bollin at Riverside Park Macclesfield, a fascinating event where the aim is to record as many species as possible in a short amount of time!
The event was funded by the United Utilities Catchment Systems Thinking fund (CaST) through which Mersey Rivers Trust aims to increase community engagement with nature and access to blue-green spaces within the River Bollin catchment.
This year the Bioblitz was also attended by staff from Cheshire East Council, the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation and the Cheshire Wildlife Trust who provided a wealth of knowledge and expertise and were able to answer questions from the public! A fantastic variety of stalls and activities were available to enjoy including pond dipping, river safaris, a bird race and a butterfly guided walk as well as face painting and nature arts and crafts!
Over 100 different species were identified during the event from plants and trees to invertebrates, birds and even 2 species of amphibian discovered in the pond!
Here are some of our personal highlights listed below:
- The stunning olive-and-pink elephant hawk-moth, whose caterpillars supposedly resemble an elephant’s trunk!
- The water scorpion, whose tail acts as a 'snorkel', allowing it to breath in water (water scorpions are not true scorpions, but are named as such due to their front pincer-like-legs!)
- The wonderfully named cucumber green orb spider, which relies on its vivid green colouration for camouflage and weaves intricate webs to trap its prey.
The event highlighted the vast diversity of species that can be found on our doorstep and drew attention to our collective responsibility to promote and protect our native flora and fauna. When we care for nature not only do we help the environment but it has a positive effect on own wellbeing! Nothing beats a day spent exploring nature and we were delighted to be joined by over 170 people and have the opportunity to share our passion for the environment.
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