Last weekend the Bog Squad returned to Sergeantlaw Moss near Paisley to continue removing invasive scrub. We were lucky with the weather and enjoyed our day working in the glorious sunshine.
The increasingly rare Large Heath butterfly is found at Sergeantlaw alongside other threatened species such as Green Hairstreak and Dark Green Fritillary. However all of these butterflies need open sunny habitats that host the plants that their very fussy caterpillars like to eat. Therefore trees like birch that seed readily into open areas can threaten local butterfly populations by shading out valuable habitat. On a small bog like Sergeantlaw the trees have a second detrimental effect by drying out the bog. Removing trees whilst they are small helps to keep habitats open for butterflies and other insects whilst also protecting the moss from drying out.
The moss is home to some special creatures and even in early November we found wildlife enjoying the sunshine. There were several snipe, a kestrel, ladybirds and even a moth or two!
Many thanks to the volunteers who came along to help. We'll be several more work parties this winter, if you'd like to come along then please get in touch.