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Have you spotted a tiger in your garden yet? If not, keep your eyes peeled – Jersey Tiger moths are out in numbers according to Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.
Sightings of this striking day-flying moth are causing a flutter of excitement thanks to the species’ exotic appearance and newcomer status in much of the UK.
As the Big Butterfly Count reached its mid-way point, Jersey Tigers appear to be doing well with citizen scientists already having recorded 5,300 of these beautiful insects compared to a total of 3,496 for the whole of last summer’s Count. When measured as an average per count, the increase is a whopping 78%.
It is thought this summer’s record breaking warm, relatively dry conditions have helped them spread their wings in abundance and settle in parts of the UK where they have may never have occurred before.
A decade ago, the Jersey Tiger was largely restricted to the Channel Islands and the south coast of England, as well as occurring throughout London and having established a toehold in south-east Wales. Today, these stunning moths are frequently spotted across southern England and are continuing to spread through East Anglia and into the Midlands.
These striking moths have been photographed in Cardiff, Birmingham, Cambridgeshire and Essex during this year’s Big Butterfly Count, and more than 20,000 people have visited the Jersey Tiger moth species page on Butterfly Conservation’s website in July.
These ‘roarsome’ moths are easily recognisable thanks to their black and white tiger stripe forewings and vibrant red-orange or yellow hindwings adorned with bold black spots.
Jersey Tiger moths are one of three day-flying moths included in this year’s Big Butterfly Count and they fly during the day and night.
Community groups, charities, town and community councils, schools, and businesses across Pembrokeshire are invited to apply to the popular Force for Nature grant scheme, which has now reopened for applications for 2025.
Established by the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, the scheme offers grants of up to £4,000 to support projects that deliver positive conservation and environmental outcomes within or around the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Eligible projects may include initiatives that enhance biodiversity, create or improve green spaces, take action on climate change, or protect and restore natural habitats.
Since its launch in 2021, the Force for Nature scheme has supported 41 projects across Pembrokeshire, from community gardens and habitat creation to wellbeing gardens and green spaces that benefit both people and wildlife.
Previous funding rounds have seen local schools, community groups and sports clubs creating wildlife-friendly spaces, planting meadows, and delivering hands-on conservation work in their local areas.
Katie Macro, Director of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, said: “We’re excited to announce that this is our biggest round of funding yet, allowing us to support even more projects across Pembrokeshire. The success of past Force for Nature grants has shown how passionate and proactive local communities are in caring for their environment, and we look forward to seeing what this year brings.”
Scientists call for urgent action as toxic compounds from tyre wear threaten microscopic ocean life and the health of coastal marine food webs
Chemicals released from car tyres as they wear down are washing into rivers, estuaries and the sea and they could be disrupting life at the base of the marine food web, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Portsmouth found that just four days of exposure to three common tyre-derived chemicals significantly slowed the growth of tiny marine algae known as diatoms - single-celled plants that produce oxygen and support entire ocean ecosystems.
The study focused on a species called Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom that like others, is responsible for converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into energy that is used by animals - a process that helps sustain fish, crustaceans and other marine life.
The findings raise concerns about how urban road runoff could be impacting the oceans, especially in densely populated areas where concentrations of tyre chemicals are already high.
The research team examined three chemicals that are widely used in tyre manufacturing or formed as byproducts as tyres degrade: mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), diphenylguanidine (DPG), and 6PPD-quinone. All three are known to enter the environment via stormwater and urban runoff, but until now, their specific effects on marine plant life have been poorly understood.
The results showed all three chemicals suppressed diatom growth, with DPG and MBT proving especially harmful even at very low concentrations, levels already recorded in waterways in countries including Canada, China and Australia. 6PPD-quinone, which has previously been implicated in mass die-offs of coho salmon, was less acutely toxic to diatoms but still raised concerns. It required higher concentrations to cause damage, but because it’s widespread and persistent, the researchers warned it could accumulate in marine environments over time.
A new campaign is underway off the north-east coast of Scotland this summer to see if the next generation of floating offshore wind farms could increase the productivity of the seas around the UK. The campaign brings together leading marine scientists from institutions across the UK including the universities of Liverpool, Bangor, East Anglia, Southampton and Hull; Marine Scotland, the Scottish Marine Science Society; and the National Oceanographic Centre.
Two research vessels, the Royal Research Vessel Discovery and the Bangor University Research Vessel Prince Madog , together with a fleet of underwater vehicles, will survey the waters around two floating wind farms, developed as prototypes, off the east coast of Scotland, namely: Kincardine, owned by Dragados and operated by Grupo Cobra; and Hywind, which is operated by Equinor. The scientists will look to see if additional turbulence and mixing, as tidal currents flow through these floating wind farms, can bring nutrients up from the depths for the plankton that live in the warm waters closer to the surface. Plankton is the base of the marine food chain, so increasing plankton production could benefit the biodiversity of the UK's seas and fisheries.
Over the last decade, offshore wind energy has become a major part of the UK's energy supply, and an industrial success story for the UK. In 2024, wind accounted for 30% of the UK's electricity generation, with more than half of that generation occurring offshore. But as the shallow seas, which are suitable for wind farms, start to fill up, the industry is looking further offshore to meet the UK's energy needs and help reach net zero.
The move further from the shore is challenging from an engineering point of view because the water is deeper, meaning that new floating wind technology needs to be developed, and now the United Kingdom is a world leader in that field.
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