Alex Scullion has given Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland a great gift.
With his group ‘Friends of Ecos’ Alex has shown how a group of nature enthusiasts can be developed into a skilled, effective and supportive team of butterfly recorders. This is impressive by itself but the seemingly effortless, education and mentoring that Alex offered has been a joy to behold. Through WhatsApp and with Alex’s gentle guidance the group organized weekly butterfly surveys, supporting and sharing with each other along the way.
Where one couldn’t help another stepped in, a community developed with a common purpose and a complete set of data has been compiled and submitted this season. Alex and the Ecos team are great characters and it has been a pleasure to be party to their progress and WhatsApp posts. The model created is so successful that it has been taken up by two other volunteer groups. As Oscar Wilde said ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’
Thanks, Alex for showing us how it’s done.