Council cuts meadow that’s home to endangered species

A wildlife enthusiast has described a decision to cut a public park meadow — recently identified as one of just a handful of breeding grounds for an endangered bee and a rare butterfly — as an act of “environmental vandalism”.

Philip O’Connor spoke out yesterday after Cork County Council ordered the cutting of the meadow in Ballincollig Regional Park, near Cork City.

“People might think I’m mad shouting and roaring about butterflies and bees,” said the Ballincollig man.

“But this is one of the last great meadows in this part of Cork. Somebody has to shout about it and take a stand.”

The amateur wildlife photographer, who captured a stunning scene of a vast cloud of butterflies mating over the secluded meadow about two years ago, has been studying the near five-acre site for five years.

He has compiled a photo essay of 3,000 images featuring its wildflowers and wildlife and says he has identified 28 of Ireland’s 32 indigenous butterfly species in or around the area.

The meadow is home to several wild native flowers, plants and grasses, including the bird’s foot tTrefoil.

This combination makes it of huge regional importance as an ideal breeding ground for the rare blue butterfly and the red-arsed bumblebee, he said.

The common blue (polyommatus icarus) is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae which lays its larva at the base of the bird’s foot trefoil flower. The larva needs several days of sustained heat to hatch.

Mr O’Connor said the current hot spell provides the ideal climate for the species to hatch, but he is now concerned that this season’s population could be decimated by yesterday’s cutting.

In 2006, the National Parks and Wildlife Service published research on the status of bee species in Ireland which concluded that the red-arsed bumblebee was vulnerable to extinction in Ireland. Other researchers have suggested that the only viable populations that are left are on off-shore islands or in places like the Burren.

However, Mr O’Connor said he found a small colony of this bumblebee species in this meadow last year.

A council spokesman defended the grass cutting and said the council has always maintained the area, which has not been identified as a designated or special area in terms of biodiversity.

The local authority has also earmarked the site for development as a public allotment.

Work on the 70-space €300,000 allotment scheme is due to begin in a matter of weeks.