The Blackneck moth is not a common moth in the Bradford area and a friend of mine who also records moth really wanted to see one. So on the 28/6 I took me to Low Moor Banks as I have regularly recorded the moth at this site.
However, he brought with him a Lunar Hornet moth pheromone Lure which hold scent of the female moth.
Therefore before we started to look for the Blackneck moth John suggested we hang the lure on a nearby Goat Willow to see what happens.
Within a about a minute!!! there was a cry from John ” Martyn quick” I ran to the lure and WOW…The lure had attracted a male Lunar Hornet moth…A new species for the site.
However, there was a bit of sadness for me as my camera JAMMED!! So well done to John for taking the photos of the moth.
When our astonishment and excitement had died down we decided to look for the target moth the Blackneck.
I took John to an area I had seen the moth before. And our luck was still with us as straight away I shouted ” I’ve got one John only for John to rely ” I’ve also got one!”
We caught the moths in a net and carefully placed them in a glass container so John could get photos of his long awaited Blackneck moth.
Both moths were released safely back into the area we found them.
So a big thank you to John for bringing the LH moth lure and now another uncommon moth has been added to this excellent urban wildlife site’s species list.
