This has got to be one our most amazing insects – a brilliant wasp mimic, but actually a clearwing moth. When I arrived at about 8.30am (21.6.06) at the site in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough (thanks to a phonecall from Kevin 'Pinky' Durose, who lives round the corner), the big one, which I take to be a female, was clinging to the host poplar, head up, with her abdomen raised in pheromone-wafting mode. Within a couple of minutes a male flew in and immediately tried to mate. It failed on the first attempt, so flew around me for a bit, looking amazingly like a big wasp. Then it was back and got into mating pose straight away.
1 comment:
Wow! what an amazing moth and excellent photos. I am just getting into moths and at this time the year with the birding a bit on the quiet side it adds a bit of interest. I particularly like the image looking up the tree.
Steve
http://stevesbirding.blogspot.com/
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