Godrevy beach, one of 24 sites chosen around the country, will be hosting a National Trust BioBlitz event on June 17th. This event will be a race against the clock involving rangers, experts and members of the public to record as many different species as possible.
Godrevy beach forms part of St.Ives bay and is a hugely popular part of the coastline for those staying in Cornwall cottages by the sea.
Everyone who gets involved in the BioBlitz will be looking for wildlife and discovering nature found in rock pools, sand dunes, woodland and heathland around the coast.
David Bullock, head of nature conservation for the National Trust, said: “We know that people visit Trust properties on the coast because they are so beautiful. But we also know that many would like to get under the skin of what is there; the special plants and animals that call it home.”
“Our coastal BioBlitzes offer a unique opportunity for experts to tell us more about the wildlife that is on our coasts, and for visitors to learn more about what is in the rock pools and mud, and what can be found flying around at night.”
All discoveries will be submitted to local wildlife record centres and the National Biodiversity Network to help understand how wildlife along the coast is changing. The findings will also help to determine the conservation management needs of each property.
As well as BioBlitzes, the National Trust will also be partnering up with Butterfly Conservation during the summer to carry out surveys of butterflies and moths on the coastline as part of the annual Big Butterfly Count. People will be encouraged to count butterflies in coastal places, between July 17 and August 9, with the focus of the survey on the Common Blue to discover whether it thrives better closer to the sea than inland.
For more information on the National Trust BioBlitzes, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bioblitz
Image courtesy of VisitCornwall and Matt Jessop