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Sunday, 12 July 2020

More Clearwings

Sue Taylor was out and about yesterday in the Grendon Underwood area of Bucks and stumbled upon two different clearwing species without the need for pheromones - simply a case of being in the right place at the right time with camera in hand!  The first, in woodland, was a rather battered Red-tipped Clearwing and then not far away, along a green lane, was a Sallow Clearwing nectaring for a matter of seconds on an umbellifer but long enough to be captured by her camera.

This is only the second adult record of Sallow Clearwing in Bucks, the first being in 2005 to a pheromone lure caught by the late George Higgs.  Incidentally, George kept the specimen so we can be sure it was correctly identified and it did appear in an "odd" year (the moth may well have a two-year life-cycle but reports that the adult only appears in "even" years can be ignored).

Thanks to Sue for allowing us to use her images.

Red-tipped Clearwing, 11th July

Sallow Clearwing, 11th July

 
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1 comment:

  1. Dave Wilton12 July 2020 at 19:19

    I went out to two local sites with the pheromone lures for Lunar Hornet Moth and Sallow Clearwing this afternoon (Sunday 12th). The first, where Sue found Sallow Clearwing yesterday, produced two Lunar Hornet Moths and two Sallow Clearwings fairly promptly (the first of the former within 5 mins, the first of the latter after 15 mins). The Sallow Clearwings wouldn't enter the trap and just danced around the lure itself before flying off - one had to be netted. The second site, where Sue found her Red-tipped Clearwing, produced another Sallow Clearwing within 20 minutes although nothing came to the Lunar Hornet lure. Again the Sallow Clearwing was very reluctant to enter the trap. Still, a very successful couple of hours!

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