Waste land or 'brownfield' sites are vital for wildlife

Wasteland or"brownfield" areas are vital but overlooked habitats for
UK wildlife, according to the charity Butterfly Conservation.
These sites are home to unusual, hardy plants and their patches of
bare ground become warm"microclimates".
Experts say these features allow many rare insects to thrive.
One moth, the small ranunculus, which disappeared from the UK before
World War II, has now recolonised brownfield habitats throughout
England and Wales.
Winged wasteland residents
While most moths fly during the night, there are about 500 species of
day-flying moths in the UK. Early summer is the best time to spot them
Butterflies are actually a type of moth. The insects both belong to
the Lepidoptera family
Many moths thrive on brownfield sites, including the rare small
ranunculus (pictured) and more common, (and colourfully named) bright
wave, chalk carpet, wormwood and six-belted clearwing, which looks
like a wasp
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The conservation group and and the wildlife magazine the insect
journal Atropos are encouraging people, wheresafe and legal access is
possible, to explore their local quarries, disused railway lines,
gravel pits and spoil tips in search of unusual moths this weekend.
This call for public participation is part of the charity's annual "moth night".
Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation said that many of the sites
were under threat from by redevelopment and "bland landscaping
schemes".
He explained to BBC Naturewhy these areas - of disturbed or even
contaminated land - were such unique habitats.
"An old spoil tip [for example] would be terribleif you wanted to
create a garden, but it's great for wildlife, because the poor soil
leads to slow development of diverse plants."
The diversity arises because only hardy plants can grow in such poor
soil. These "tough" wild flowers- such as rosebay willowherb, prickly
lettuce and dandelions - thrive precisely because they are not pushed
out by swathesof more common weeds that need a more nutrient-rich
landscape.
The variety of wild flowers provides some favoured food for the
caterpillars of unusual moth species, suchas the small ranunculus.
This species disappeared from Britain completely in the mid-20th
Century, but has now recolonised large areas of south-east England,
become established in south Wales and been sighted as far north as
Lancashire.
Wild cities
Patches of bare ground that heat up in the sun alsoproduce "little
microclimates" on brownfield sites.
Mr Fox explained: "These are great for insects, especially in a cool,
damp place like Britain."
Elephant hawkmoths are commonly found on brownfield sites
He added that he hoped"moth night" would encourage formal wildlife
surveys of brownfield areas, so that their true environmental value
could be calculated and taken into consideration in any decision about
whether and how to develop them.
Philip James, professor of ecology at the University ofSalford, agreed
that such sites could be ecologically important, telling BBC Nature
that they often became home to rare species "normally associated with
other habitats that are regularly disturbed, such as river banks,
sandy heaths or chalk grassland".
But rather than avoid developing brownfield sites all together, he
pointed out that it was important to understand their changing nature,
and perhaps to leave areas derelict when they harboured "the greatest
species richness".
"Over a few years," Prof James explained, "soil begins to build up and
the vegetation changes.
"Before the soil builds up and burrowing animals come in is when there
are opportunistic plants and the insects that feed on them.
"That is the time when... one might find nationally rare species."
Prof James suggests that these "transient" habitats could become part
of planning an ever-changing,rich urban landscape.
Disused quarries can be home to many wildflower species

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