To spot this month: keep an eye out for one of our newest bees

The Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) was first spotted at the Raven Nature Reserve (Wexford) in October 2021. It’s a solitary bee with an autumn flight period, to match the flowering of its favourite plant - Ivy. It nests in south facing banks of light soil. Within the National Biodiversity Data Centre, we've been keeping an eye on its spread each year (current distribution below).

The Ivy Bee is quite large and has very distinctive bands of white on the abdomen. It is likely to be around from mid-September until mid-October. Particularly check in areas along the east and south coasts.

Submit your record if you think you’ve spotted this bee, and attach a photograph if it’s from a new location.

To do this month: grow native trees from seed

Now is the perfect time to collect and plant seeds from our native trees. Good seeds to plant are Rowan, Hawthorn and Elder berries. The flowers from these native trees are a valuable food source for our pollinators in the spring. 

Collecting and growing seeds from healthy trees in Ireland is the best way to ensure that local trees can flourish, and gaps are restored with native species. While it doesn’t directly support pollinators, Oak is an incredibly important tree for biodiversity. A great action just now is to pick up some acorns if you’re out on a walk and find somewhere suitable to plant them locally. Photo: Ruth Wilson

New blog: Making meadows at St. Joseph’s Secondary School

In this guest blog, St Joseph’s Secondary School in Castlebar tell us about their excellent work to reduce mowing and create new meadows in the school grounds. Hopefully it’ll inspire other schools to consider something similar in 2026!

Now is a good time to plant some pollinator friendly bulbs to flower next spring

We know that pollinators need us to return semi-natural habitats and native plants. However, in parks and gardens, ornamental flowers that are rich in pollen and nectar can provide additional food for flower-visiting insects.

Early spring is a critical hunger gap for many of our bumblebees and solitary bees. Native species like Willow and Dandelion are vital, but ornamental plants can also help. Bulbs are a great choice as they will come up year after year. Consider adding spring-flowering species like Crocus (pictured) & Grape Hyacinth to your garden. Now is the time to get bulbs planted and pollinators will thank you next spring!

Free online course - Managing Communities for Pollinators

Earlier this year, we launched a free online course: Managing Communities for Pollinators. This course is aimed at community groups who are interested in making their community pollinator friendly such as Tidy Towns, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, community gardens, residents’ associations, and youth groups. From pesticide alternatives to plant lists to pollinator-friendly mowing tips, this is a great resource for any community rural or urban, large or small.

Pollinator numbers are in decline on the island of Ireland, but records from the National Biodiversity Data Centre show that local populations are increasing where actions are being taken to help them. This is thanks to different sectors coming together to transform their landscapes for pollinators, not least community groups.

The new course draws on our guideline: ‘Local communities: actions to help pollinators’, providing clear, evidence-based actions for any community, whether just starting out or already doing work for biodiversity. 

Ivy - a fantastic plant for pollinators!

With Autumn upon us, you will see Ivy in flower and buzzing with insects. It’s an incredibly important food source for pollinating insects who need to fatten up for hibernation. Learn about why it’s so important for all biodiversity in this factsheet, created as part of our ‘Biodiversity on your Farm’ series.