Welcome and Unwelcome visitors - Go Find One

The exceptional summer weather stretching into autumn has brought unusual visitors to our shores.

Some are very welcome but others, like the fecund and invasive Asian Clam (Corbilcula Lumina) found near ESB power station outlets on Lough Ree in Longford in recent days, are not. The clam represents a very real threat not just to wildlife but to the power station and immediate efforts are being taken to eradicate it.

A far more welcome visitor is the very rare Clouded Yellow Butterfly (Colias Croceus) which has been spotted in West Cork in recent days and weeks - see Outdoors, page 14.

The  Clouded Yellow Butterfly is such an infrequent visitor that ecologists are anxious to record where and when it is seen on our shores. What better way to introduce young minds to the joys nature than to encourage them to try to find this infrequent visitor and to record the fact for science.