Dr Helen Taylor (RZSS) discusses the conservation breeding and reintroduction of the Endangered Dark Bordered Beauty moth in Scotland.
The Dark Bordered Beauty (Epione vespertaria) is a striking moth that, within the UK, is currently restricted to just three sites; two in Scotland and one in York. To help restore this species and safeguard it for the future, RZSS, in partnership with the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms Project, is running a conservation breeding programme providing hundreds of eggs, caterpillars, and moths for release into new sites in the Cairngorms National Park. Helen will give more information on this remarkably rare species, provide the latest news on how the conservation programme is progressing, and detail some of the challenges faced by her team in trying to breed a moth species that is so rarely seen in the wild.
Dr Helen Taylor is the conservation programme manager and interim deputy head of conservation at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). She is responsible for all RZSS’ native invertebrate breeding and reintroduction programmes, including dark bordered beauty moths and pine hoverflies, as well as the field surveys for species such as blood red longhorn beetles and small scabious mining bees. Helen also manages RZSS’ partnership work on giant armadillos and giant anteaters in Brazil, the Biodiversity Action Plan for Highland Wildlife Park, a conservation health programme for flapper skate, and policy and advocacy work around beavers in Scotland.