Last weekend, I got an invite to visit a new Bee Sanctuary with a group on wildlife enthusiasts. Being organized by one of the group who has become healthily obsessed by bees in Ireland, the focus of the visit was to inspect vital pollinators, but there was a lot more to see.
After years of work, Clare-Louise and her husband and family are sitting in a wonderful 55-acre area of countryside with two lakes, a short walk from 8 acres of sunflowers and rows of nectar-laden native and naturalized flowering plants. Areas that have been allowed to re-wild see the appearance of wildlife you wouldn’t hear about normally - leaf-cutter bees drilling and hiding in a bench by the lake, moss carder bees - and the vertebrates are getting a look-in with otters, badgers, deer, herons, duck, rudd and others making appearances.
The Bee Sanctuary is at the end of a lane with a grassy mohawk, a first-gear experience for those with sensitive suspensions and kidneys, and is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys the surrounds of nature.
Despite the windy day, I packed the macro lens and managed to catch some of our intervertebrate buddies in action (warning, potential insect nookie).
Put this spot on your list for walks with the kids, with the camera, or just on your own when the weather is good!