Rare Bog Grass Moth recorded for first time at north Wales reserve
Conservationists have recorded the rare Bog Grass Moth at Cors Geirch National Nature Reserve in Gwynedd for the first time. A survey collected 446 moths representing 91 species, including 19 Bog Grass Moths, highlighting the importance of protecting wet fen habitats where their larvae feed on sedges.
A rare Bog Grass Moth has been recorded for the first time at Cors Geirch National Nature Reserve on Wales’s Llŷn Peninsula. The discovery was made during a survey by conservationists working on Natur am Byth’s Llŷn and Ynys Môn project. Moth traps collected 446 insects representing 91 species in a single night, including 19 Bog Grass Moths.
The species is considered scarce in the United Kingdom and has previously been recorded in only a small number of English counties, including Dorset. Its larvae depend on wet sedges, which grow in the reserve’s fen habitat. Steve Palin and Charles Aron, lepidopterists involved in the survey, described the find as a significant addition to knowledge of the region’s winged insects.
They said targeted recording in specialist fen habitats showed that more discoveries remained possible. Other uncommon species recorded at the site included the Six Spotted Crane Fly and the Black Nightrunner Ground Beetle. Clare Sampson, a project manager for RSPB Cymru, said the wetland had been opened up through work by staff, contractors and volunteers.
Sampson said many fen habitats had suffered during a hot, dry summer, but the reserve retained healthy numbers of the crane fly and ground beetle as well as the newly recorded moth. She also said about 80% of UK peatlands had been lost or damaged. Peat forms over thousands of years in waterlogged conditions and is a major carbon store; when damaged, it releases greenhouse gases.
Sampson said careful management of fen sites could support rare species and future discoveries.
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