Lagan Valley Coppice

12/08/2026

Some good opportunities to get out and start adventure with nature conservation in Northern Ireland.

Our highly popular Trainee Ranger Scheme returns for another year!

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland, Breedon Group plc and Action Renewables, the highly successful Trainee Ranger Scheme will return for another year as part of our new project ‘Young, Wild and Well’.

The Scheme will be slightly different this year in that we are only accepting applications from young people aged 18-30 who are facing mental and physical health struggles, special educational needs and disabilities or other forms of discrimination or disadvantage. More information and application forms can be found on our website:
https://belfasthills.org/newsroom/traineerangerscheme/

The deadline to apply is Tuesday 1st September 2026 at 5pm.

‘Young, Wild and Well’ is a new project which will build on the legacy of Wild Youth. The joint project between the Belfast Hills Partnership and Ulster Wildlife will continue to support young people’s mental and physical health in the outdoors.

07/08/2026

03/08/2026

Few interesting opportunities popped up in Co Down.

📢 We're hiring!

The Mourne Gullion Landscape Connections Project is recruiting five new team members to help shape the future of one of Northern Ireland's most spectacular landscapes.

We're currently recruiting for:
✅ Project Manager
✅ Senior Community Participation & Volunteering Manager
✅ Farming Liaison Manager
✅ Farming for Nature Officer
✅ GI Analyst

Interested in finding out more? Join us at one of our informal Recruitment Drop-In Sessions to learn about the project and discuss the opportunities available.

📍 Newcastle 📅 Thursday 6 August 2026 🕝 2.30pm - 6.30pm Donard Room, Newcastle Centre
📍 Newry 📅 Tuesday 11 August 2026 🕒 3.00pm - 7.00pm Mall Suite, Canal Court Hotel

No booking required. Drop in anytime during the session.

Visit nationaltrustjobs.org.uk for full job descriptions and application details.

Mourne Gullion Landscape Connections is made possible with . Thanks to players, we can come together to sustain and restore the Mourne AONB and Ring of Gullion AONB landscape.

02/08/2026

Lagan Valley- good and bad sides in the summer. With unusually less rain we have really dry conditions out there. The woods do suffer little as trees drop leaves earlier to reduce the need for water. Meadows look really dry unfortunately and many plants went early into seeds. Some like giant hogweed thrive now. The river has a low level exposing a lot of rubbish- fresh and old stuff that finished at the bottom many years ago. Luckily I also had some nice discoveries: found a few trees full of ripe Mirabelle plums and a nest/barrow of kingfisher in the bank of river.

23/07/2026

Join us for a free lunchtime webinar with All-Ireland Pollinator Plan Programme Manager, Dr Sarah Larragy, to explore the next phase of the AIPP (2026–2030) and hear about the plans for the next five years.

Register here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/nationalbiodiversitydatacentre/2320599

We'll introduce the Plan's vision and priorities, highlighting it's 10 work packages which bring together actions across sectors including farmland, public land, transport networks, communities, businesses and researchers. You'll also hear about how the Plan's 50 strategic aims and 75 success metrics will help guide and measure progress towards an island where pollinators can survive and thrive.

Whether you're already involved in biodiversity initiatives or looking to get started, this webinar will show how the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan provides practical tools, resources, and inspiration to help everyone play a part in protecting pollinating insects. Find out how you can get involved and help turn individual actions into lasting, landscape-scale change for pollinators across the island of Ireland.

17/07/2026

Back to work!

14/05/2026

Few shots from walk at Lagan Valley Park. The spring flowers like bluebell are finishing their spectacle and slowly summer plants take over. The surrounding urban environment creates slightly warmer temperature and provides more shelter from wind. This allows some species to flower well ahead of their colleagues in more exposed locations in the country.

30/04/2026

Warm and dry weather helped germinate and establish some wildflowers in my garden. Wild garlic began flowering- a sign that soon it will go into seed, then foliage will die and the plant will go dormant till next spring. I have got plenty of yellow rattle popping up on our wildflower meadow. This plant is often called a haymaker- it takes energy from surrounding grasses opening space for other herbs and flowers. There is also a flower of narrow leaf plantain. It's a deep rooted plant that handles well our heavy clay in dry weather. Finally a great surprise- 2 leaves of what looks like a common spotted orchid. I have been introducing those seeds over the last 2 years and it looks like I got lucky. Orchids can be demanding and expect non disturbed, non fertilised soil. My green patch after 3 years slowly gets in the right direction. The ultimate target will be to have more vetches later on in the year, maybe also red clover or even birds feet trefoil. Seeds of those species were added through the late winter. This mix should be great for pollinators such as bumblebees, butterflies and moths. 3 years ago this used to be a lawn- a green desert with not much life or action except regular mowing.

27/04/2026

With spring on we get some tryphids out there flowering😉.

🧄 Invasive Species Spotlight: Three-cornered Leek 🧄

Three-cornered Leek (also known as Three-cornered Garlic) is a bulbous perennial herb native to Mediterranean Europe.

🔍 How to recognise it?

The plant measures up to 50cm in height. The leaves are green, flat and rather fleshy. Flowers are white with a strong green stripe and hang to one side. Stems are distinctly triangular in section with sharp angles. All parts of the plant smell of garlic.

Leaves, stems and flowers emerge in spring. Seeds develop and standing stalks remain in summer. Above ground vegetation dies back by autumn. Early emergence of leaves and sometimes flowers from bulbs during mild winters.

Three-cornered Leek can easily be confused for native Allium species, Ramsons and Wild Onion. Check out the “Guide to Ireland’s Regulated Invasive Alien Plant Species” for help with identification👉 https://tinyurl.com/mvjpm25x

📍Where to spot it?

It may be found along roadsides, grassy banks, hedges and in woodland. Sometimes coastal.


💥What impact does it have?

Three-cornered Leek competes with native vegetation by forming dense communities and depleting soil resources.


𓇢𓆸 How does it spread?

The plant spreads by seed and the movement of bulbs in soil. It is a common garden escape and human dispersal is likely the major pathway of expansion in Ireland.

🙋What can you do to help?

Three-cornered Leek is listed on Ireland’s First Schedule list of Invasive Alien Species of National Concern: It is therefore illegal to import, sell, grow or release this species.

Remember to to stop the spread of Three-cornered Leek. Learn more about Be Plant Wise 👉 https://shorturl.at/nPeJX

📝If you see this please submit your sighting through the online form:

https://shorturl.at/AiF0S

ℹ️ Species Profile: https://shorturl.at/2tm4O

🌐Learn more about invasives species at Invasives.ie

12/04/2026

Another dry walk accomplished in the Lagan Valley. Early spring is a great but short spectacle to see how wildlife is wake up after a long, wet winter. This is a section between Malone House and Mary Peters Track. There are big patches of conifers and pockets of ancient woodland with fantastic oak, ash and beech trees. Beech isn't a right example as it's not native, but those are as old as can be here- around 300 years old. Soon all those trees will grow leaves and spring flowers thriving underneath will die back making space for shadow preferring ferns, mosses fungi and lichen.