Friday 21 August 2015

Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar

After the large numbers of elephant hawkmoths we have had in our traps this summer I shouldn't have been surprised to find an elephant hawkmoth caterpillar in our garden,  but wow! what a treat - I almost didn't go over to investigate when I spotted i,t as the sun was shining behind it from where I was standing so it just looked like a large dark shrivelled leaf, which wouldn't have been unexpected as the caterpillar was a fuchsia plant which is still waiting to be planted and I keep forgetting to water it! - Any way something made me go back and take a closer look - I am so pleased I did - this is my first ever Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar and it has not disappointed me!
Firstly here are some of the elephant hawkmoths from one of our mothing sessions this summer - along with some poplar hawkmoths - the elephants are the pink ones!



and here is today's Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar



photography by Angela Smith