Thursday 18th March 2021, 10:00am-10:45am

Online Virtual Zoom Workshop

Contact

57.0808414, -4.0526768

Scottish Clearwings

(All Scottish clearwings but with a focus on Welsh and Large Red-belted)

 

Free Online Virtual Zoom Workshop

Thursday 18th March

10-10.45am

And repeated

Saturday 20th March

10-10.45am

Background

Clearwings are a very elusive and scarce group of moths with most looking more fly or wasp like than moth.  Six species occur in Scotland and all will be covered during the workshop although the focus will be on Welsh and Large Red-belted Clearwing.

The Welsh Clearwing is an elusive day-flying moth that is so called because it was first found in Wales in 1854.  It is a woodland species associated with mature birch trees as the female moths lay their eggs in crevices in the bark, the resulting caterpillars feeding within the bark for two to three years.

It is an elusive beast, rarely encountered as an adult and until recent best recorded by searching for the moth’s characteristic exit holes in birch trunks.  However, a pheromone lure is now available that readily attracts male moths and thus an excellent tool to help record the presence of Welsh Clearwing at known sites as well as help discover new colonies.

Similarly the large Red-belted Clearwing is also associated with birch and has its own unique pheromone lure. 

Both Welsh and Large Red-belted Clearwing are High Priority species in Butterfly Conservation Scotland’s Conservation Strategy.  It is therefore important we determine their current status.

Aim

The aim of the online workshop is to provide information on identification, distribution, ecology and use of pheromone lures, whilst also raising the profile of clearwing moths.  It is also hoped that attendees will be sufficiently enthused to undertake targeted surveys hopefully with the aid of lures to help us determine their current status.

Booking

The workshops are free and anyone can attend, however, booking is essential as details on how to access the Online Zoom Virtual Workshop will only be sent to those that register an interest.  Full instructions on how to join the meeting will be sent out to those new to Zoom.

The online workshop will be held at 10am on Thursday morning and repeated on at 10am Saturday morning.  It is advisable to join the zoom room around ten to fifteen minutes before the start of the workshop in case of any last-minute technical difficulties.

To book a place please complete our online form which can be found here

For more information contact

Tom Prescott, Butterfly Conservation Scotland

Email: @email

Tel: 01540 661469.  Mob: 07979 785665.