Brownfield sites proven to provide valuable habitat for invertebrates

The conservation organisation Buglife has recently launched a one-stop shop for information on brownfield sites and their resident invertebrates. The Brownfield Hub is intended to help anyone – from ecologists to planners, developers to wildlife lovers – to understand the value of brownfield sites for our rare British invertebrates. 

A brownfield site is a piece of land that has been altered by human activity, but which is not currently in use. Brownfield sites offer a precious ‘mosaic’ of habitats, providing variety that is rare in the wider landscape and can support important populations of scarce invertebrates.

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Waste land or 'brownfield' sites are vital for wildlife

Wasteland or "brownfield" areas are vital but overlooked habitats for UK wildlife, according to the charity Butterfly Conservation.

These sites are home to unusual, hardy plants and their patches of bare ground become warm "microclimates".

Experts say these features allow many rare insects to thrive.

One moth, the small ranunculus, which disappeared from the UK before World War II, has now recolonised brownfield habitats throughout England and Wales.

The conservation group and and the wildlife magazine the insect journal Atropos are encouraging people, where safe and legal access is possible, to explore their local quarries, disused railway lines, gravel pits and spoil tips in search of unusual moths this weekend.

This call for public participation is part of the charity's annual "moth night".

Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation said that many of the sites were under threat from by redevelopment and "bland landscaping schemes".

Read more:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18513022

Moth returns to UK in time for moth night

Return of the Ranunculus - The moth that came back

June 2012. A moth, previously extinct in the UK, has successfully re-colonised large swathes of the country thanks to wildlife-friendly brownfield sites.

Small Ranunculus - Colonising brownfield sites
The Small Ranunculus, an intricately mottled grey, black and gold moth became extinct in Britain prior to World War Two, but started to appear once again in the late 1990s.These early immigrants from continental Europe established a foothold on brownfield sites such as abandoned quarries and spread along roadside verges.

With little interference, the moth has now re-colonised large areas of South East England and become established in South Wales as well as being sighted as far afield as Lancashire and Northamptonshire.

Brownfield suitability and vulnerability
The Small Ranunculus favours brownfield sites as they typically hold plants that the moth's larvae feed upon such as the Prickly Lettuce and Great Lettuce. Brownfield sites such as quarries, disused railway lines, gravel pits and spoil tips are important for the recovery of this species and key habitats for many threatened and common moths and other wildlife. But in spite of their wildlife value, brownfield habitats are under-recorded and threatened by Government policy.

Continued;  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/moth-night-2012.html#cr