THE amazing wildlife of East Ayrshire is being celebrated in Netherthird this month.

The East Ayrshire Coalfield Environment Initiative (CEI) are presenting a unique children’s art exhibition celebrating East Ayrshire wildlife that is currently on display in the Netherthird Community Education until the end of November 2016.

The colourful collage is a collaboration between primary pupils from New Cumnock, Auchinleck, Barshare, Muirkirk and Patna, and has been created to raise awareness about the fascinating wildlife of East Ayrshire’s peat bogs.

The exhibition is the final part of the 'Bog Star Species' education programme which the CEI has been delivering since 2015.

Each participating school was able to learn about a Star Species of the bog. The five species that were chosen certainly have that ‘x-factor' and include the Adder, Sundew, Hen Harrier, Sphagnum Moss and Large Heath Butterfly.

Many of these species only occur on peat bogs because they are ‘specialists’ that have adapted to the wet water-logged habitat. 120 enthusiastic children became champions of their Star Species which involved learning in detail from wildlife experts about their species, meeting their species and raising awareness of their species to the public through helping to create this Star Species collage.

After learning from experts from the Amphibian Reptile Conservation Trust, Buglife, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Police Scotland pupils became experts themselves and ventured out onto the nearby peatlands of RSPB Airds Moss, SWT Dalmellington Moss and Cairn Table in Muirkirk to explore the habitat and try to meet their species first hand.

They learnt new skills in wildlife spotting, bird watching and plant surveys and had lots of fun bouncing on the wobbly bog surface, making smelly potions and measuring the depth of the peat using a special peat probe. Lots of wildlife was spotted along the way including fluffy cotton grass, pink heathers, glistening sundews and lots of colourful sphagnum moss.

The CEI said: "We would like to thank all the pupils for becoming excellent species champions. You will be sure to learn something new about the peat bogs near you, so pop along to see the display this winter. The exhibition will move to the Doon Valley Museum in Dallmellington for the whole of December, with future locations to be announced."