api-ness, api-ness

Warm sunshine, light breeze, June - perfect conditions for clearwing lures. Only problem being that it was very late in the afternoon (or early in the evening depending on how you feel about 18:30 in late spring!). I nipped up to the plateau of Huncote Embankment where there is a lush carpet of trefoil. Out with the API lure, simply pegged onto some grass stalks low down between trefoil patches, and wait with net to hand.

After c10 minutes I was about ready to move and try another spot, but - hang on - isn't that a ......

Six-belted Clearwing - get in!

Only the one, but given the time of day and perhaps still early in the flight season I was pleased. Even more so as this was a site-first record. I reckon a late morning / early afternoon visit in a week or so would produce a lot more individuals - certainly when I tried other known sites a few years ago this species goes mad for the lures and I've had upto 20 knocking about with first individuals arriving in seconds.

Trefoil Carpet

A Lure In grass

Aside from the clearwing, I also netted a few tortricids around Oxeye Daisies and Common Vetch - including a Pea Moth and at least two, possibly three different Dichrorampha spp. (which will need gen detting).