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Moth & Butterfly Gallery - Page 1: Hawk Moths |
Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera |
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Moths and butterflies include a great many of our most colourful and familiar insects - brightening our fields and gardens during the warm summer months. Enjoy this selection of species, all found in Britain and Northern Europe unless stated otherwise . . . . . . | |
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 Elephant (or Large Elephant) Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor) wing-span 55-60 mm |
 Small Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila porcellus) wing-span 45-50 mm |
 Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor) caterpillar up to 90 mm long Usually brown (as illustrated) but sometimes greenish in colour, with conspicuous eye-spots at the front-end (see opposite) and a horn-like, dorsal spine at the back-end; feeds on the leaves of willow-herbs, bedstraw, garden fuchsias and some other plants Photo: Jo Ryder © |
 Eye-spots on the front abdominal segments of an Elephant Hawk Moth (D. elpenor) caterpillar When alarmed the caterpillar withdraws its head and thorax into the abdomen, causing the eye-spot region to swell, so giving the insect a more threatening appearance which may startle and frighten away potential predators such as birds Photo: Pauline Woodhead © |
 Death's Head Hawk Moth (Acherontia atropos) wing-span 11-12 cm Photo: C.W. Wiltshire © |
 Privet Hawk Moth (Sphinx ligustri) wing-span 10-11 cm |
 Lime Hawk Moth (Mimas tiliae) wing-span 60-65 mm |
 Eyed Hawk Moth (Smerinthus ocellata) wing-span 75-80 mm |
 Lime Hawk Moth (Mimas tiliae) caterpillar up to 60 mm long Usually green, with diagonal yellow stripes on each side, but becomes brownish (as illustrated) just before pupating; feeds on the leaves of lime, elm, birch and other deciduous trees Photo: Jo Ryder © |
 Convolvulus Hawk Moth (Agrius convolvuli) wing-span 10-11 cm Photo: Susan Pickthall © |
 Poplar Hawk Moth (Laothoe populi) wing-span 70-75 mm Photo: Richard Boland © |
 Pandora Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha pandorus) wing-span 80-110 mm (found in eastern parts of North America) Photo: Joanne Pacheco © |
 Hummingbird Hawk Moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) wing-span 45-50 mm This day-flying hawk moth hovers at flowers to sip nectar with its long tongue or proboscis, rather like a hummingbird, as in the pictures shown here Photos: (left) Cyrille Grinner ©; (top centre) John Johnston ©; (right) Marcus Nash © |
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