Back in January, I decided to buy some moth pheromones. These are naturally emitted from wild female moths to attract a mate, and can be bought from various weird entomological websites on the internet as an alternative way to attract those species which don't readily come to moth traps.
Clearwings are one such group of moths which have pheromone lures tailor-made for them. These moths are unique amongst British moths in that they don't look like moths at all, with wings that look completely clear.
Each species of this spectacular family is nationally rare, day-flying, secretive and specific to a unique habitat, making them a nightmare to record. Since they were invented some 10 years ago, pheromones have become the main method of recording the presence of the males, which are attracted to the scent, believing a virgin female is nearby.
The lure- consisting of a tube impregnated with pheromones, and a small cotton bag...
Each species (there are 15 in Britain) has its own lure specifically made for them, and based on local habitat, I decided to go for a lure that attracts Yellow-legged Clearwing and Orange-tailed Clearwing- the former being found around old oak trees, and the latter on chalk downland. I had it all planned out. Once the time was right, in mid-June, I would take the lure down to Richmond Park, which is full of old Oak trees, to see if I could find a Yellow-legged Clearwing. I would then take the lure to Denbies Hillside, a chalk downland site, with plenty of chalk, to quickly scoop up Orange-tailed Clearwing, before coming home and writing about my findings to you on this blog. In reality, neither species was seen at either site, and hopes of finding these mysterious moths were low.
A few weeks back, on a sunny afternoon with a light breeze (perfect conditions for Clearwings), I optimistically took the lure out into the garden for a laugh (yes, I am easily amused), on the off chance that either species might have been hiding right in front of me all along. I wasn't expecting anything much, but almost as soon as I hung the lure up in the flower border, an Orange-tailed Clearwing appeared, followed 5 minutes later by a Yellow-legged Clearwing. Within 15 minutes, it had turned into a full on social gathering for the moths, which was a bit of a suprise considering the garden's lack of suitable habitat for both species; especially the Orange-tailed Clearwing, which very rarely strays from chalk soils.
Orange-tailed Clearwing...
An idea of size...
Yellow-legged Clearwing- a wasp mimic...
That distinctive clear-wing...
With load of pumped up, hormonal male Clearwings about, I figured it was best to break things up before it all got out of control, so in the lures came, and as quickly as they appeared, the secretive little moths disappeared off into the undergrowth, to carry on their secretive lives.
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