Donal Hickey: Have you spotted any parakeets or hornets among invaders here?

Here's how to report any suspected rose-ringed parakeet sightings in Cork city or surrounding areas

A rose-ringed parakeet (picture: Denis Minhane); and an Asian hornet (picture: Scott Camazine). Both are classed as invasive species here

Perhaps it’s due to the wettest-ever July, laced with good intervals of warm sunshine, but flowers and shrubs everywhere are blooming cheerfully during summer. Butterflies and bees are having a great time, especially around buddleia.

Blackberry season is particularly early this year