We have been busy this week clearing an area at Glenarm Nature Reserve for wood crane's-bill planting - a rare violet wildflower found exclusively in Co Antrim. Did you know that this wildflower was considered extinct until the 1990s when found in Glenarm area? By planting seeds here from a nearby site, we will be able to increase the range of this rare species ~ John McLaughlin, Nature Reserves Officer

The team have also been clearing gorse from the Umbra to ensure the survival of this species-rich sand dune on the north coast, which is one of the best sites for butterflies and moths in Northern Ireland. ~ John McLaughlin, Nature Reserves Officer

Check out this beautiful Turkeytail fungus found by Gemma, one of our Nature Skills trainees on some dead tree stumps on the nature reserve. It gets its name because its shape and varied colour are similar to those of a wild turkey ~ Deborah McLaughlin, Bog Meadows Community Engagement Officer

Our Nature Skills Trainees and ESC Volunteers have been fixing the newly installed fence at Slievenacloy last week after a car ripped out a section ~ Ronald Surgenor, Nature Reserves Officer