April Fish! 🎣 Cuckoo Wrasse (Labrus mixtus) is 1 of our most colourful native fish. A marine species living in rocky reefs. 🧡Females are pink-orange w/ black & white markings 💙Males are electric blue w/ orange patches Check out the new recording page: www2.habitas.org.uk/records/angl...

What exactly is aposematic signalling? ❌Many species advertise to predators that they will be harmed by their defences like toxicity or bad taste if they attack them. 🎨This is done via signals like bright colours, unpleasant odours, noises or other characteristics.

Join this year’s #CityNatureChallenge, April 24–27 & contribute to the world’s largest #CommunityScience event 🌍 With National Museums NI, Wild Belfast, @bsbibotany.bsky.social & BugLife All you need is the free @inaturalist.bsky.social app📲 Join the project: www.inaturalist.org/projects/cit...

Last week 60 amazing volunteers planted 1000 native trees @ulsterfolkmuseum.org 🌳 Thanks to everyone who was involved & also @tcvnational.bsky.social, Woodland Trust & National Museums NI. Happy to see oak, hazel, alder, cherry & rowan saplings in our woodland ahead of international day of forests🌱

Search for clues at the @ulsterfolkmuseum.org Track & identify the tell-tale signs of mammals that live amongst us🦔 This family workshop is a perfect day out for detectives, young & old! 📆Saturday 18th April ⏰11am-2pm Get tickets: www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/be-...

Delve into the world of Plant Pathogenic Fungi with Jake Dalzell this spring in our fully outdoor session. 📆 Saturday 16th May ⏰ 10am-4pm Get tickets: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Spp of the month: Boston Facelina 🫥Has transparent head & visible red oesophagus. 📏Up to 55mm. Red-brown cerata (tentacles) can be ½ body length. White spots along tails & between rhinophores (sensory antennae-like organs). Long oral tentacles & pink patch around the mouth.

Wood Anemone can be a sign of ancient woodland. Found between the trees @ulsterfolkmuseum.org, this slow-growing pollinator food plant was once thought to be a lucky charm. Last year we received 77 records of Anemonoides nemorosa. Let us know if you see any this year!

Collect & identify species of seaweed found in the Intertidal & Subtidal zones of NI with Emeritus Prof Christine Maggs! Some experience of recording or using a microscope is recommended for this course. Get tickets: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Happy to share info on a funded AHRC CDP4 PhD Opportunity: 🌱 Reawakening the Living Landscape: Integrating Heritage & Sustainability at the Ulster Folk Museum. With 4 supervisors from Newcastle Uni & National Museums NI If interested, please see link: www.ncl.ac.uk/hca/study/hi...

A call to budding botanists across Ireland: Find out how to record your first 100 plants in tonight's great webinar! 🌸🍁🌱🌼🌿🌾🪷🪻🌳 More info: bsbi.org/take-part/ev... @npwsireland.bsky.social @cedar-ni.bsky.social @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social @irishwildlife.bsky.social #botany #Ireland #recording

Dive NI is a website for divers in Northern Ireland to find new sites to explore 🌊 Check it out under the new address: dive-ni.org & don't forget to submit your marine sightings on our website 🪼

This #WorldWildlifeDay the focus is on medicinal & aromatic plants!

The first signs of spring @ulsterfolkmuseum.org Lesser celandine, with its yellow flower & heart shaped leaves signifies “joys to come”. It’s one of the first pollinator food sources to emerge after winter! Last spring we received 105 records of Ficaria verna. Let us know if you see it this year!

We'd a busy 2wks with @niscifest.bsky.social: 🔎“Look Closer” with QUB, showing nature up close to 0-5yr olds 🌱Wildlife Walk to find signs of nature in the cold 🌳Woodland Restoration tour behind the scenes at the Folk Museum ✏️ Climate+ Co-Centre "Rights of Nature" asking if nature can have rights

For a taster of what's in the latest edition of our fantastic #BSBINews magazine, visit bsbi.org/learn/period.... Or become a member to read the whole thing! @ucddublin.bsky.social @uniofgalwaylib.bsky.social @ucclibrary.bsky.social @atu-ie.bsky.social #Irishplants #botany @cedar-ni.bsky.social

#WhatExactlyIs the hungry gap?

Join us this Saturday for @niscifest.bsky.social & take a behind the scenes look at conservation projects happening at the Ulster Folk Museum, from invasive species removal to woodland restoration. See link for tickets: www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/beh...

#Speciesofthemonth is the common earwig!

CEDaR recently received six records of strandings following Storm Chandra, these included records of the curled octopus (𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘢). 🐙

With Valentine’s Day approaching , let us introduce you to @lovedataweek.bsky.social ! 💝 A celebration of all things data, this year’s theme asks “Where’s the Data?”🌱 When you submit sightings, they travel a long way to help protect NI’s wildlife! #LoveData26 #citizenscience #Conservation

CEDaR's Surveillance Officer worked with colleagues at the NIEA on their Habitat Regulations Reporting. It reviews the conservation status of 32 species & 50 habitats across NI. Read the overview report: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/sites/defaul...

Happy National Hedgehog Day 2026 🦔 If you are lucky enough to see a hedgehog, be sure to record your sighting and upload it to our NI Mammal Recording Project, available on our website or via the iRecord app! 📲 We accept camera trap footage! 📸

#WhatExactlyIs Have you ever walked along the beach & noticed a piece of seaweed that looks like a small pouch? Well, its not actually seaweed at all! 👛

Database update ❕ Our terrestrial & freshwater data team have recently surpassed 3 million records uploaded to our Recorder6 database! 🌱 Thank you to everyone who has submitted records to us and helped us achieve this milestone, here’s to the next 3 million! 🎉

Strong easterly winds & heavy rain have arrived in Northern Ireland as #StormChandra passes over. 60-70mph winds are expected, possibly up to 75mph by the coasts and 50mm of rainfall is also predicted in many areas, this has already caused some flooding & disruption.

Our outreach volunteer role is now open - see the link for more details! volunteer.nationalmuseumsni.org/volunteers/o... @volunteernow.bsky.social #citizenscience #NationalMuseumsNI #biologicalrecording

Its red squirrel appreciation day! 🎉

Species of the month: Common Starling! 🔎 Identifiable by their glossy plumage with purple and green sheen. In winter they have white spots on their feathers and darker bills. They also have short tails, pointed wings and pink legs. Length: 19-23cm, Wingspan: 37-42cm.

Join us on the 13th of February at 2pm outside Ballycultra Tearoom at Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra to learn about local wildlife and how to record it! See link for tickets: www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/wil...

CEDaR has a bespoke recording platform: CEDaR Online Recording 💻 If mobile recording is more your thing, there're a number of apps that also filter into our database 📲 Whichever you choose, please only submit your sighting to 1 platform. This reduces duplication!

Presenting CEDaR's Year-End Record Count for 2025! Almost 14,000 records were submitted to CEDaR Online Recording in 2025, a big increase from just over 11,000 in 2024. Thank you to our recorders for all of your great work throughout the year!

Happy holidays from everyone at CEDaR! Thank you for all the records that you submitted in 2025, see you in the new year!

Tired of singing the same Christmas carols every year? Jazz up your songbook with some whale song 🐋

Species of the month: the Grey and Common Seals! Only 2 seal species are found in the seas around NI, we couldn’t pick a favourite – can you?

Storm Bram is set to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to Northern Ireland. Southerly and then southwesterly winds with speeds of up to 70mph are expected, in coastal areas and on higher ground these winds could be even stronger 💨

Launched in July 2025, CEDaR’s Northern Ireland Mammal Recording Project marks 25 years since the end of our first bespoke recording project, the NI Mammal Recording Scheme (1995-2000).

Rain or shine (or hail!) earthworms are active, and so are we! ❄️ Our Earthworm Sampling and Study Days gave intermediate level participants, returning from April’s course, an opportunity to find and identify yet more earthworms (and invasive New Zealand flatworms).

On Saturday we officially marked our 30th anniversary with our Conference & Publication Launch. Thank you to every one of you who has supported our work and submitted records over the past 30 years. Read more about the event here: www.nationalmuseumsni.org/news/cedar-m...

Something new is coming 🌱

Recently, CEDaR ran a cetacean identification training course with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group at Portrush. Thank you to everyone who attended! Be sure to record your marine species sightings using CEDaR online recording: www2.habitas.org.uk/records/marine

Our earthworms have been getting some attention over on BBC News NI. Read more about our earthworm sampling day at the article: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Don't forget to record your earthworm sightings at CEDaR Online Recording, or iRecord.📲

Gorgeous new pages for Ireland too! - check out the new Irish County, Project and Event pages at bsbi.org/in-your-area.... And it's now so easy to find all @bsbibotany.bsky.social's fantastic botanical resources! 🌿🌾🌼🪷☘️ @npwsireland.bsky.social @cedar-ni.bsky.social @cieem.bsky.social

Ahead of our conference this Saturday we want to highlight the organisations who have worked with us to make the event happen. Thank you! 😊

Species of the month: red squirrel! 🟠Red squirrels are identifiable from their red/brown coat, bushy tail and tufts on their ears, they are smaller than grey squirrels at about 18-24cm in length 🍴They eat mostly seeds and nuts (especially pine) but also bark and fungi

This week is your last chance to book tickets for our conference on 22nd November! Learn about the role that biological records play in research in session 5🔬 Book your tickets at: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

What kind of organism has the gall to make these unusual growths? Quite a few as it turns out! Plant galls are created by insects, mites, bacteria and fungi 🐝 A gall is any growth on a plant caused by an external organism 🌳 They can be created for food or shelter!

We would love for you to join us at our conference on Saturday 22nd November! Session 4 will look at connecting nature and people🌳 Book your tickets at: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Something wicked this way comes... Species of the month: New Zealand flatworm! 📐Traits - Flattened body that is pointed at both ends and covered in a sticky mucus. Colour can vary with a pale yellow margin. They have a speckled underside. Can be 20cm long and 1cm wide.

Session 3 of our conference will focus on wellbeing and nature 🏖 Book tickets to celebrate 30 years of connecting nature and people with us: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket... #natureconnectedness #wellbeing #nature #VisitAND