Rare Moth Thrives in "Last Refuge" on the Island

Thursday, January 27th 2011 07:00

The Isle of Wight is the last refuge for a rare moth.

A report by Natural England, called Protecting England's Natural Treasures, shows the reddish buff species is now confined to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Cranmore, one of the three most important sites for rare wildlife in the country.

The insect was previously found in Hampshire and Dorset, but attempts to reintroduce the moth to the mainland have failed.

The report highlights the hard work of landowners, farmers and volunteers who have transformed the fortunes of England's SSSIs, halting or reversing the long process of decline experienced by many SSSIs over recent decades.

Without these wildlife havens, the report says, a number of fragile species clinging to survival would disappear from the UK and some would become globally extinct.

Richard Grogan, from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, told IW Radio: "Cranmore has a number of small areas of land that have not been improved by chemicals or application of fertilizer or ploughing, and so they are very old grasslands. And it is in those grasslands that a plant called saw-wort lives and it's the food plant for this very rare moth.

"We have to keep the grassland open and sunny so we have spent a long time removing small, scrubby thorn trees from the site where the food plant grows. The residents are very keen to help and we call it [the moth] the Giant Panda of the Isle of Wight."

Work to enhance the moth's habitat at Cranmore has been funded by the West Wight Landscape Partnership, of which Natural England is a partner, and Higher Level Stewardship agreements.

http://www.iwradio.co.uk/newscentre/iw-radio-news/rare-moth-thrives-in-last-refuge-on-the-island-1923