Did you know that one of Britains’ rarest moths is living in your parish? The Barberry Carpet moth was once far more common but is now restricted to only a few colonies with its’ stronghold being in North Wiltshire. As the name suggests, the Barberry Carpet feeds on Common Barberry Berberis vulgaris, but this is actually the only food-plant that this moth will use. Other Berberis cultivars that are readily available in garden centres and gardens throughout Britain just won’t do for this very particular moth!
With support from Heritage Lottery Funding, this moth is now receiving an extra helping hand from the charity Butterfly Conservation through one of many Back from the Brink Projects that have been launched to help some of the rarest species in Britain. The Project Officer Fiona Haynes would love to hear from anyone in the parish who would be interested in having some Barberry plants for their garden or on their land. BC are planting many more plants in and around existing colonies of the moth in order to link the remaining colonies and increase the available habitat for the moth. Barberry is not just important for one moth as it also supports a range of other invertebrates and the berries provide food for small mammals and birds. Fiona can be contacted at fhaynes@butterfly-conservation.org or 07483 039323.
Hankerton Village 