Lancashire Wildlife Trust has launched a new appeal to raise £20,000 to help save three extraordinary insects – and work towards restoring an entire ecosystem in the process.
The large heath butterfly, bog bush cricket and white-faced darter dragonfly were once common across Greater Manchester and Lancashire’s vast peat bogs. Now, decades of habitat destruction have pushed them to the brink.
Following years of restoration work, Lancashire Wildlife Trust is inviting the public to help bring these rare species back home, and with them, the wildlife-rich wetlands they rely on.
Dr Matt McMullen, Senior Nature Recovery Officer at Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said:
“This isn’t just about saving three species. It’s about rebuilding a whole ecosystem from the ground up. Insects pollinate plants, feed birds, and help break down organic matter. They’re vital parts of the web of life. Helping these species means bringing balance back to our peatlands.”
The large heath butterfly, locally known as the Manchester argus, had been locally extinct for over 150 years. Following a successful release at Astley Moss in Wigan in 2020, the Trust is seeking support to grow the population and expand to new sites.
The bog bush cricket, a bright green, short-winged insect, now survives only in tiny, isolated patches of wetland. The Trust hopes to translocate adults to newly restored peat bogs to boost numbers and protect the species from vanishing altogether.
The white-faced darter is one of Britain’s rarest dragonflies and is currently missing from Greater Manchester. The Trust is preparing sites for reintroduction, following successful work in Cumbria and Cheshire.
Lowland raised peat bogs are one of the UK’s most important habitats for both wildlife and for people. When functioning well, they store carbon, improve air quality, and reduce the risk of flooding to nearby homes and businesses. However, 96 per cent of Greater Manchester’s bogs were destroyed in the last 150 years due to drainage and the rapid growth of development and industry.
“These species would struggle to recover on their own. Large heath butterflies find it hard to fly far from where they hatched, bog bush crickets have suffered from fragmented habitats, and white-faced darters need very specific conditions to support the early stages of life,” Matt said.
