At Butterfly Conservation they are encouraging everyone to make a “Moon Meadow”

Many moths need darkness to thrive, but each year, the night sky gets lighter. Research showed that moth caterpillar numbers under LED street lights were 52% lower in hedgerows and 43% lower on grass verges compared to those which were unlit.
Find out how you can dim the dangers of light pollution for our moths by creating a Moon Meadow by visiting the Butterfly Conservation website https://butterfly-conservation.org/join-the-dark-side

What is a Moon Meadow?

A Moon Meadow is a green space or planted area such as a pot which is filled with plants which benefit our night-time pollinators like moths, with an additional secret ingredient – the moon!

Many people think moths are annoying insects “that get in your hair”. However they are a vital part of the eco-system and are just as amazing (and colourful) as butterflies. They do exactly the same job in pollinating flowers, but you don’t see them as often as you see butterflies because most of them fly at night.

Help lower light pollution by changing your outside lights to ones that are triggered to come on instead of permanently on.

Were as busy as ever during 2025, here are three successful projects they were involved in.

We Helped Return a Rare Lichen to its Historic Home

The Breckland, in the east of England, has suffered more than other places with habitat loss – and one of the casualties is Scrambled Egg Lichen. This yellow lichen with a white fungus on top really does look like an egg.
It became extinct in the Breckland due to habitat loss resulting from changes in farming practices, an increase in tree cover and a loss of rabbits. The Scrambled Egg Lichen is 1 of 3 specialist lichens lost from the region, where they were once common, along with the Starry Breck and Scaly Breck Lichen.
Fortunately, we have found a way to reintroduce it back into the Breckland. Our Lichen and Bryophyte Senior Specialist Dave Lamacraft collected small patches of the lichen from Penhale in Cornwall and transported it using a process called translocation.

An Orchid on the Brink of Extinction Has Been Returned to the Wild

The iconic orchid, Lady’s-slipper, was believed to have been driven to extinction in the UK by the early part of the 20th century as a result of over-collecting and habitat loss.
However, in 1930 a single plant was discovered growing in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales. The location was kept secret for decades, during which time volunteers frequently checked on the plant to make sure it wasn’t dug up and stolen.
A reintroduction programme was planned with the ambition of reinstating self-sustaining populations of the orchid in the wild. Now, decades of work have finally paid off.
Last summer, the first new naturally occurring Lady’s-slipper Cypripedium calceolus plant was discovered in the wild for almost 100 years. The team who discovered the plant included Plantlife, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and Chester Zoo.

We Trained People to ID a Rare Moss – Which Helped to Uncover Hidden Populations

In 2003 Aspen Bristle-moss, which was thought to be extinct in the UK, was rediscovered by a chance finding. Now, thanks to a team effort – moss experts, landowners and volunteers discovered 3 times the amount of Aspen Bristle-moss at one site. This brilliant find led to the known population of this rare moss doubling in Scotland in a single afternoon.
This amazing feat was thanks to a training session organised by our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World Project Manager, Sam Jones, where volunteers were taught how to ID this marvellous moss.
The elusive epiphyte (a plant which grows on the surface of another plant) is particularly tricky to identify, with tiny features that distinguish it from the other mosses that can be found growing alongside it.
This event, helping uncover hidden populations of Aspen Bristle-moss, gives hope for its future.

Visit Plantlife to find out more https://www.plantlife.org.uk/good-news-for-nature-10-good-news-stories-for-plants-and-fungi-from-2025/


HOW CAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS HELP NATURE RECOVER?

We are in the middle of a biodiversity crisis.
Read the full paper here >> https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534725003581

Suspicious Death of Hen Harrier Circe Prompts Charity to
Launch a Fresh Fundraising Appeal


Female Hen Harrier Circe, satellite tagged on Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, ‘disappeared’ in the Moorfoot Hills just four months later

Following the suspicious disappearance of young Hen Harrier Circe in the Moorfoot Hills south of Edinburgh, conservation charity Hen Harrier Action has launched a fresh fundraising appeal to satellite tag more Hen Harriers.

Circe, satellite tagged by RSPB fieldworkers on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in June, was just four months old when her tag stopped transmitting suddenly, indicating she was highly likely to have been illegally killed.

Hen Harrier Action trustee Adrian Rowe said “We are devastated by the loss. Circe was a healthy, thriving Hen Harrier and we had high hopes that she would go on to find a mate and raise a family. In response, we are launching a new fundraising appeal this Christmas to tag even more Hen Harriers next year, to monitor their movements and help to protect them from persecution. Evidence shows that tagged birds are less likely to be singled out by wildlife criminals.”

In the days leading up to her disappearance Circe ranged across the Moorfoot Hills, south of Edinburgh. Her tag data shows that the tag was regularly transmitting but then sudden stopped with no sign of tag malfunction. The disappearance was reported to the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the area was searched but no body or tag has been found.