#wallingtonestate — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Hidden moth population found after 70 years

A hidden population of one of #England 's rarest #moths has been found at a site where it had not been seen for more than 70 years.

Evie Lake, 13 August 2026

"Head of conservation at #ButterflyConservation Dr Dave Wainwright has spent his career searching for the dark bordered beauty and said he felt an 'overwhelming feeling of relief' when they were found at #WallingtonEstate, in #Northumberland.

"For decades, the only site where the moth was found in England was at Strensall Common, in Yorkshire, but the population there has been in decline due to #ClimateChange and a wildfire.

"The discovery has given conservationists new hope for the species and opened up the possibilities of where more can be found.

"Once widespread across northern England and Scotland, habitat loss has caused significant decline in the #DarkBorderedBeautyMoth.

"The custard-and-chocolate-coloured moth was found at the National Trust site previously but had not been seen since 1952."

[...]

"The moth's caterpillars will only eat two plants - #aspen and #CreepingWillow - which makes it a challenge to conserve, according to #ButterflyConservation."

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/7lodA

#SolarPunkSunday #EndangeredSpecies #EndangeredMoths #UK #UKSpecies #Conservation #SpeciesConservation