[A]nyone who has ever been pond dipping will know that there are wonderful creatures living in water that we rarely see.
Steve Routledge, national water beetle expert, will be dipping into tarns, rivers and ditches at the Rusland Horizons Bioblitz and you can join him to find out what is in his net.
Steve said: “I wanted to get involved in the Bioblitz as I love going to them and go to as many as I possibly can. It’s a way of getting good wildlife records for an area, engaging with the public and hopefully getting people interested in wildlife in general. I am looking forward to talking to the people coming to the event and answering any questions that they have regarding aquatic invertebrates.”
Clare Dyson, Community Engagement Officer, Rusland Horizons said: “A Bioblitz is an event that gets experts and the public looking for wildlife. At the end of the weekend we expect to have a long list of flowers, mosses, mammals, insects, etc. We hope to get over 750 different species. The more visitors to the event the more eyes there will be to spot things.”
“We know a lot about the wildlife in other parts of the Rusland Valley, but have only a few wildlife records for this area. Everything that is spotted will be important whether it is a common daisy, a protected species like the red squirrel or some weird and wonderful insect that you need a microscope to identify. The information is used by landowners to help them look after their land in a way that protects nature.”
The Bowkerstead Bioblitz, a free family friendly event, takes place at the Grizedale Campsite, Bowkerstead Farm, Satterthwaite from 4pm on Saturday 30 June to 4pm on Sunday 1st July. Activities will include an evening bat walk, butterfly hunt, guided walks, moth trapping and tracking mammals. For a full programme and further information visit www.ruslandhorizons.co.uk
