New records for the Rose Chafer Beetle, Blue Mason Bee and Hairy-footed Flower Bee have been confirmed following ecological surveys carried out across Scottish Borders Council land as part of an ongoing partnership with invertebrate conservation charity Buglife.
Recent site surveys have identified what appear to be three new vice-county records across Scottish Borders Council-owned sites:
- Rose Chafer Beetle (Cetonia aurata) – new to Roxburghshire
- Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens) – new to Roxburghshire
- Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) – new to Berwickshire
All three species were recorded on sites where Buglife has been working with Scottish Borders Council to improve habitat for pollinators, as part of a broader initiative to support invertebrate populations across the region through a funded Buglife Scotland project, Pollinators Along the Tweed.
Buglife Scotland Pollinators Along the Tweed Conservation Officer, Kate O’Leary shared:
“Vice-county records track the historic distribution of species across defined recording areas, and a new published record for an area is an indicator of a species either being newly detected there or expanding into new territory. The recording of all three species on actively managed sites suggests that recent efforts to create pollinator-friendly habitat – such as wildflower-rich grassland, reduced mowing regimes and diverse nesting and foraging resources – are having a tangible, positive effect.”
Councillor Jenny Linehan, SBC’s Executive Member for Environment, Sustainability and Transport, said:
“The discovery of these new species records highlights the importance of undertaking nature-friendly management of our green spaces. Pollinators are essential to healthy ecosystems, and these results show that partnership action can make a real difference.
“Through our work with Buglife, we are helping to create better habitats for wildlife across the Scottish Borders while contributing to our wider ambitions for biodiversity enhancement, climate resilience and thriving natural environments for future generations.”
Buglife works to save the small things that run the planet – the invertebrates that pollinate our crops and wildflowers, recycle nutrients, and support the food chains that all other wildlife depends on. The charity works with landowners, including local authorities, to help manage land in ways that benefit these often-overlooked species.
Pollinators Along the Tweed Conservation Officer, Kate concluded:
“This is a great case study in the impact that thoughtful, invertebrate-focused land management can have – and a brilliant example of what’s possible when local authorities and conservation charities work together. We hope it encourages other local authorities to consider how their green spaces could be managed with pollinators in mind.”
To find out more about projects and support available in your local area, visit the Buglife website buglife.org.uk.
Main image: Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) © Artur Rydzewski (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)