Moth pollination and floral advertising traits in an orchid from the summer cloud zone of the Cape fold mountains

• Flowering of a montane orchid coincides with frequent bouts of inclement weather. • Multiple lines of evidence show it is pollinated by hawkmoths and settling moths. • Flowers produce nocturnal scent, dominated by farnesene derivatives and indole. • Camera traps are invaluable for pollination studies in challenging environments. Nocturnal pollination systems of plants that grow at high elevation are challenging to study, especially if pollinator visits are relatively rare. We investigated the pollination system of the montane orchid Satyrium eurycalcaratum , which has fragrant white long-spurred flowers, suggestive of nocturnal moth pollination. Camera trapping over 78 camera days and 74 camera nights recorded 21 flower visitors, of which 16 were nocturnal moths that probed floral spurs; 12 of these individuals (one hawkmoth and 11 settling moths) carried pollinaria on the upper base of their proboscis. Only five visitors were recorded by cameras during the day and none of these carried pollinaria. Direct observations over five days and six nights, often during inclement, misty weather, detected just two visits by hawkmoths and two by settling moths (one of each carrying pollinaria). In a monitoring experiment over 48 h, pollinarium removal was only recorded during the night. Despite the relatively low visitation, rates of pollination and of fruit set per flower were approximately 75 %. The strong nocturnal scent is dominated by farnesene derivatives and indole, compounds known to attract moths. Floral spurs are 29 mm long and nectar can fill up almost half the length, making it accessible to both hawkmoths and settling moths. This study adds to a growing body of work demonstrating the utility of camera trapping supplementing direct pollinator observations, which enables documentation of rare pollination interactions in remote areas with inclement weather.