Record numbers of a rare moth turned up in Glen Affric birch woods

A moth found almost only in Glen Affric has been seen in record numbers. BBC News reported that local recorder Mike Taylor counted 43 adult Affric Twitchers, Choreutis diana, during a two-day visit, the highest tally for the glen since records began in 2021. Staff and volunteers from Butterfly Conservation also logged 111 larval spinnings, the canoe-shaped silk shelters the caterpillars make while they feed on birch leaves.

Surveys covered parts of the glen's native Caledonian woodland, including ground around Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. Evidence turned up in new places, and the moth's known range is believed to have doubled in two years. Patrick Cook of Butterfly Conservation said the species depends on that birch.

Shona Amos, an environmental forester with Forestry and Land Scotland, said deer management, removal of non-native plants, and birch coming back have helped the moth and other wildlife. The news is the count of adults, the shelters, and a wider map inside one glen. It is not a claim that the moth is secure across Scotland.