We found this ghost moth Hepialus humuli on the cliff-top path at Dawdon on the Durham coast this morning.
Ghost moths are unusual in engaging in communal courtship
displays at dusk, drawn together in "leks" of a dozen or more by
emitting come-hither scents that are said to be reminiscent of the aroma of
goats. They hover just above the vegetation, swaying from side to side "as
if dangling on the end of a string", according to a 50-year-old account by
the eminent entomologist E.B. Ford.
Their ghostly appearance is enhanced by the fact that the
undersides of their chalk-white wings are dark brown, so with every upstroke
they seem to disappear in the moonlight, then reappear on the downstroke.
According to Ford's account their pheromones incite receptive females to fly
straight into the swarm of suitors and collide with a chosen male; then both
fall to the ground to mate. It's a performance many have described and few have
witnessed but one who has is Stephen Cumming, who has posted a video on YouTube that you can watch by clicking here.
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