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Emperor Moth DSC_1263

Emperor Moth / saturnia pavonia. Westleton Heath, Suffolk. 13/04/17.

 

Seeing eye to eye.....a close encounter!

BEST VIEWED LARGE.

 

Macro photography was hampered by a fresh, almost constant N/NW breeze on the day this image was made. Thus, a record shot only and one that I hope to improve on in the near future.

 

I wanted to record the long feathered antennae that only the male Emperor Moth has. Using these alone, a male can detect the scent, (pheromones), that is given off by an unmated female. It has been documented that males can detect pheromones from a distance of 7miles away which if true, is utterly remarkable! Several males will swarm around an unmated female until one secures a successful mating. The rest then disperse and continue their search.

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Uploaded on April 20, 2017
Taken on April 13, 2017