MOON DANCE

GHOST MOTH | Amorous male moths bob and sway in a strange, ethereal twilight display to attract a mate

- Nick Baker

IN THE UK, IT'S NOT JUST THE MALES OF capercaillie and black grouse that gather in groups to lek and compete for the attention of females. Other species do it too, including one of our more unusual moths. Observing ghost moths (Hepialus humuli) lekking on a still, warm summer's evening is one of the more subtle and gentle wildlife spectacles you can witness.

It occurs in damp, wild meadows where the grass grows long. About 45 minutes after the sun has dipped below the horizon, in the dim half-light, the moths start their 'dance'. Slowly at first, one or two brave individuals get the party started, looming up from somewhere in the dense vegetation where they've been patiently waiting for the perfect moment.

It's a mass participation event and on good sites their numbers can very quickly swell until there are dozens of them on the wing. As if suspended from invisible, ethereal threads, they hover on silver wings just above the tops of the grasses, bobbing in and out of cover. These moths are all males, and this is the culmination of their life-cycle.