Rare moths booming on Burg

The Slender Scotch Burnet, one of Scotland’s rarest moths, is thriving on the National Trust for Scotland’s property at Burg on the island of Mull, according to new figures.

The Slender Scotch Burnet, one of Scotland’s rarest moths, is thriving on the National Trust for Scotland’s property at Burg on the island of Mull, according to new figures.

A survey carried out by one of the conservation charity’s Thistle Camps found a healthy population of the moths which live only on Mull and Ulva. A total of over 300 moths were seen, which is a record for the site.

Volunteers taking part in the week-long Thistle Camp learned to identify the moth and distinguish it from two other similar species found nearby, before conducting a full census of Burg.

The survey was also extended into some of the more remote areas of the Ardmeanach Peninsular and re-located another large colony at a site which had not been monitored for over 10 years.

Senior Nature Conservation Advisor for the National Trust for Scotland, Dr Richard Luxmoore said:

“This is an incredibly rare species, confined to a small area of Scotland. The Trust has been working to manage the habitat for the moth by controlling bracken encroachment and ensuring appropriate levels of grazing on the flower-rich coastal grasslands. This survey shows that the management action has paid off and is reflected in burgeoning numbers of moths.

“We are very grateful for the hard work of these dedicated volunteers in helping to collect this important information that confirms the success of our conservation efforts.”

The volunteers also tackled a number of other important tasks on the property such as repairing tracks and clearing bracken from archaeological sites.