OUR FIRST YEAR PUPILS ARE COMPARING SEASONAL CHANGES  IN FLORA AND FAUNA IN EACH OF OUR LOCAL AREAS

Partner Schools:
Collège Gaspard des Montagnes, France
Jules Verne College, Valencia, Spain

We have a Meteorological station processing data 24 hrs a day and relaying the information to this site

The new project has also provided opportunities for both teachers and students to travel to meetings in each of the partner schools. The photo below shows P.J. Houlihan and the class which he joined while staying with Eric's family in Valencia.

Mónica, Christian and Ana studying the native Mediterranean Palm at the Project site in Valencia

The 'European Savage', shown below, is an unusual form of fauna seen in Valencia but is thought to have Argentinian origins! At home in most environments , prefers being surrounded by dense foliage during the day but is more lively at night under artificial lights. The term "savage" is an certainly an exaggeration and this particular specimen is about as wild as a cuddly bunny.

Below, Mr. Kavanagh hard at work during the Project Site Walk in Spain.

Here, Pablo explains some of the finer points to us.

Below, some pictures taken when Michel and Maurice with their students visited in February

First a presentation then down to work

Below we are pictured in St. Germain L'Herm with Javier and Pablo and their students at the exhibition set up by Maurice Rabain and his class

Below is my colleague Ger Roche with his Science class at the project site for the first time.

And here the students are setting a "Pitfall Trap", which will be checked daily for animal activity, and counting the leaves left on the selected trees

Dungarvan Comenius Project Data

Some of the results of our first year's work on this project are shown below this article.

Our Project is a part of Biology called PHENOLOGY

Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena especially in relation to climate change. It is recording when you heard the first cuckoo or saw the blackthorn blossom. This can then be compared with other records.

In Japan and China the time of blossoming of cherry and peach trees is associated with ancient festivals and some of these dates can be traced back to the eighth century. Robert Marsham was Britain's first phenologist and started recording his 'Indications of Spring' as early as 1736.

Phenology, the science of recording natural regularly occurring events, already provides some of the longest written biological records in Ireland. If we continue to collect this valuable information on seasonal occurrences we will be able to demonstrate how climate change is affecting our wildlife habitats.

The Native Woodland Trust believes that climate change is the biggest single threat to what little remains of our ancient woodland heritage. The 20th century has seen a steady increase in temperature with 1990s being the warmest on record. The mean temperature for January-March in the 1960s was 4.2°C compared to 5.6°C in the 1990s. The mean temperature in the spring 1999 was 6.1°C. Phenology offers real evidence that climate change is happening now and that it is already having a significant effect on our wildlife. Trees are coming into leaf sooner, and some typical spring flowers are increasingly being seen coming into bloom in November and December. Butterflies are appearing earlier, with evidence that some are begining to overwinter in Ireland. New birds, such as Egrets, and insects, such as some Dragonflies, are moving northwards into Ireland, with some other migratory species showing signs of staying year-round.

Phenology can also have a direct link to our own lifestyles by providing indicators of change in the fields of human health, agriculture, horticulture and forestry. The study of the variations in Nature's Calendar has a major monitoring role to play at the beginning of the 21st century. The more records we have, the more reliable our predictions will be

Look at the Irish Native Woodland Trust Website from which this article was taken.

Native Woodland Trust Site

The UK Trust have taken an interest in our project and are hoping to begin similar work in the UK soon.