The first ever H&I Bioblitz took place at the start of Feast Week, attracting visitors of all ages despite the hot weather.
Organisers from Histon and Impington Green Spaces (HIGS) and H&I Community Orchard (HICOP) have revealed that over 200 visitors to the event helped identify over 500 species of local flora and fauna on the day. This is a figure which may also increase as some specimens require special identification techniques.
Visitors participated in events in some of H&I’s wild areas including Long Meadow, the Orchard and Croft Close Nature Reserve and Histon Wood.
Records of all the species found on the day have been uploaded to the national iRecord database, a site operated by the Biological Records Centre which aims to bring together wildlife sightings from sources nationally to be checked by experts and made available for research and decision making.
Bioblitz number crunch
The 501 species identified included:
- 17 butterflies
- 204 moths
- 10 flies
- 28 beetles
- 42 bugs
- 31 birds
- 122 plants
- 3 kinds of elm tree
Visitors’ highlights of the day:
- Two species of Pipistrelle bat were seen and heard through bat detectors
- Brightly marked Marbled White butterflies were spotted
- Tawny owl chicks observed in a tree through a thermal monocular
- Bird ringing demonstration proved popular
- The soil tank – or “worm club” as one young attendee called it – was a hit
- A pink and olive-green Elephant Hawkmoth moth was observed
- Bat spotting attracted 25 visitors
Guy Richardson for HIGS said: “The smiles on people’s faces said it all. The Bioblitz was an enthralling event.
“The emphasis of the day’s activities was connecting people with nature, to learn and appreciate more the flora and fauna on our doorsteps, but it was also a fantastic opportunity with our team of experts to learn more about what species share our village. We managed to find just over 500 species – a very impressive total”.
READ ALSO: BioBlitz set to put H&I wildlife on the map | HI HUB
What a wholesome event 😊
Shame I couldn’t come. Next year!