Er... that title might be a bit extravagant... it was more like "a brief wander in the afternoon" but that doesn't sound nearly as interesting...
Anyway, it was a rare opportunity of both me and my partner 
For those who are interested, its located near to Woodhall Spa, approx 15 miles or so from Lincoln.
It is a quiet little place, probably due to the signs saying no dog walkers, so most of those generally walk around the Ostlers Plantation which is a pine woodland close by.
Kirkby Moor is predominately a dry heathland habitat, with some birch woodland off to one side. The main reason I was excited to be here was that it is a great place to see Emperor Moths which love the heather that covers the open part of the reserve.
The males are day-flying and usally whizz about searching for females. The females are usually hiding down low in the vegetation, and they release pheromones to attract the males.
One way of attracting these male Emperor Moths is to use a synthetic (man-made) version to replicate the scent released by the females.
I am using one of these Pheromone Lures here today. It is inside the little white bag (hanging from the tripod of sticks in the above image. The bag has holes in so the scent and waft across the reserve.
All I needed now was to have my net at the ready and wait.
I was hopeful of seeing them today. The time of year is right (late Spring) the weather was sunny, (although at a mere 12C it wasn't as warm as it could be). Most importantly there was small but continuous breeze which would distribute the pheromone across the reserve and, fingers crossed, attract the moths.
While waiting I had a poke around this dead tree. Dead wood is a great chance to see Beetles, as many species live on it, with the larvae burying into it. I was only able to find one tiny little Beetle
... I told you, absolutely tiny!
No idea on the species yet...
While I was admiring him (her?), my partner found a striking little caterpillar
He looked interesting enough to warrant a 'proper' photo. I spend a lot of time at home taking pictures of insects, and I like to use either brightly coloured backgrounds (or a black background) just to try something different. This is easy to do at home (I've got time and equipment etc) but I wanted to try doing it 'out in the field' as this would give me an opportunity to photograph new species
This little caterpillar was the first attempt, and it was easier than I expected. All it took was a sheet of green cardboard and a small plastic pot to stop him crawling away
This is the larvae of a moth - True Lover's Knot. I have seen the adult form only once before, up in Scotland. Never seen it at home.
Suddenly, a flash of orange whizzed overhead... an Emperor Moth! Quick, grab the net!
Isn't he gorgeous. Not the largest moth to be seen in the UK, but in my opinion it is one of out most beautiful species. In this Pot you can see the bright orange underwings, and I was hoping to get a better picture showing those...
...but when he was placed on the Bracken plant, he became all shy and hid them away...
I managed to find another one...
and he was also quite shy. Nevermind, it would have been nice to get a picture, but I don't want to damage him the process. After a couple of nice shots on the Bracken they both flew off to carry on the search for love...
I have briefly mentioned the neighboring Pine Wood - Ostlers Plantation. It is a great to see Adders and lizards basking in the morning sun, but we had arrived too late for those. They do have another highlight Green Tiger Beetles
Green Tiger Beetle from an earlier trip
I have seen these before, and they are generally a lot more common than most people realize. They are striking looking insects, with a bold green colour, and scales which are almost iridescent.
I have long hoped to take a picture of one of these in the style of my Insects Portrait Project but they are only found in certain habitats such as heathland
This is perfect for them, the heather on the left and side provides cover, and the wide path features plenty of space to chase their prey.
In the right location, I once again set up my 'portable studio' and went to go find a a willing volunteer to photograph.
As I said, this is perfect habitiat for them, and even though it was the end of the day, there were still plenty of them whizzing about... I caught one in a little plastic pot, and sat him on the shiny black card, and waited patiently for him to stop trying to escape.
After 5-10 minutes most insects realise they are trapped, and will sit and wait... once my subject had realise he couldn't get out he stopped running about frantically
I very carefully lifted the pot up and took a shot...
Ta-da!
A portrait of a handsome Green Tiger Beetle
With that shot nailed, I let him scurry off into the undergrowth in peace.
As mentioned in many other posts, I do my best to look after any insects that I catch and always try to release them as soon as I can once I've got a shot I was happy with
So it may not have been a Grand Day out, but it was a pleasant enough afternoon in the end, and I got a few decent images to show for my efforts!
Thank you for reading, I hope you found it interesting.
Note: Info on Emperor Moths found from:
https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/saturnia-pavonia/
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