Moth experts in Scotland kick off unique four-month ‘Easter egg hunt’ - Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)

Conservationists in Scotland have kicked off a unique four-month ‘Easter egg hunt’ involving one of the UK’s rarest and most beautiful moths.

A team led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have released 400 eggs of the dark bordered beauty moth at a specially selected site in the Cairngorms National Park as part of a conservation programme. They will return to look for the adults in July.

The dark bordered beauty moth (Epione vespertaria) is an attractive moth. Females have lemon-yellow wings and prominent dark borders while males are darker and with ochre stripes. Sadly, due to years of habitat loss, it is now endangered in the UK and found at only two sites in Scotland and one in England.

The latest egg release on Friday, April 4, was part of the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms (RIC) partnership project involving RZSS, Butterfly Conservation, RSPB Scotland, Cairngorms Connect and others.

Dr Helen Taylor, conservation programme manager at RZSS, said, “We are delighted to have a new release site for this incredible species where we can test whether releasing eggs is an effective strategy for reintroducing dark bordered beauty moths. We’ve been running a conservation breeding programme for this species since 2022 and have previously released caterpillars and adults with some success, but raising individuals to these stages of development is an intensive process. If we can show success with egg releases, we will be able to ramp up our efforts and do even more to help this rare and important species. Reversing species decline is critical in the current global biodiversity crisis. Invertebrates like the dark bordered beauty moth play vital roles in ecosystems, yet they are often overlooked. Thanks to our dedicated partners, funders and conservation supporters, we are making real progress in restoring this rare species.”

The RIC team took the eggs from a RZSS conservation facility where they are breeding dark bordered beauty moth to release into the wild.

The egg release took place on the WildLand estate, which is part of the Cairngorms Connect landscape, in an open clearing rich with aspen suckers and thick, damp mossy ground cover.