Hawk Moth
The sphinx moth (family Sphingidae) is also called the hawk moth and the hummingbird moth because of its hovering, swift flight patterns.
This moth is one of the largest flying insects with a wingspan of two to five inches. The distinct white lines on the forewing and thick pink stripe on the hindwing make identification easy.
The species hovers in mid-air to feed on large nectar-producing flowers. The ability to hover in nectar feeders is rather rare and also found in hummingbirds, some bats, and hoverflies. Hawk moths also have the ability to move quickly from side to side while hovering, a strategy that is thought to be an adaptation to escape predators. They are also one of the fastest flying insects, with a top speed of twelve miles per hour!
These moths feed on specific plants and have a ten-inch feeding tube that allows it to take advantage of deep-throated flowers that other pollinators can’t reach, such as Sacred Datura, Evening Primrose, and many cacti species. The females will lay hundreds of eggs, again on specific ‘feeder’ plants. Upon hatching the larva immediately start eating voraciously.
The larva, or caterpillar, is typically yellow with white spots and diagonal slashes on the sides and features a dramatic horn on the rear end that looks dangerous but is for display only. When resting it is common for the caterpillar to rear its front end up and put its head down in a ‘praying’ posture which gives it the appearance of the Egyptian Sphinx, hence the nickname Sphinx moth. While many of the plants the caterpillar eats are poisonous to other animals, it is able to eliminate or metabolize the toxins. The caterpillar, when threatened, will even regurgitate a sticky green material which contains some of the toxins in an effort to discourage predators.
Unlike other species of moths, the larva does not spin a cocoon. During its metamorphosis below the ground, it transforms from a caterpillar (larva) into a pupa, and finally into an adult moth. The adult moth crawls out of the pupal case and pushes out of the soil.
Read MoreThis moth is one of the largest flying insects with a wingspan of two to five inches. The distinct white lines on the forewing and thick pink stripe on the hindwing make identification easy.
The species hovers in mid-air to feed on large nectar-producing flowers. The ability to hover in nectar feeders is rather rare and also found in hummingbirds, some bats, and hoverflies. Hawk moths also have the ability to move quickly from side to side while hovering, a strategy that is thought to be an adaptation to escape predators. They are also one of the fastest flying insects, with a top speed of twelve miles per hour!
These moths feed on specific plants and have a ten-inch feeding tube that allows it to take advantage of deep-throated flowers that other pollinators can’t reach, such as Sacred Datura, Evening Primrose, and many cacti species. The females will lay hundreds of eggs, again on specific ‘feeder’ plants. Upon hatching the larva immediately start eating voraciously.
The larva, or caterpillar, is typically yellow with white spots and diagonal slashes on the sides and features a dramatic horn on the rear end that looks dangerous but is for display only. When resting it is common for the caterpillar to rear its front end up and put its head down in a ‘praying’ posture which gives it the appearance of the Egyptian Sphinx, hence the nickname Sphinx moth. While many of the plants the caterpillar eats are poisonous to other animals, it is able to eliminate or metabolize the toxins. The caterpillar, when threatened, will even regurgitate a sticky green material which contains some of the toxins in an effort to discourage predators.
Unlike other species of moths, the larva does not spin a cocoon. During its metamorphosis below the ground, it transforms from a caterpillar (larva) into a pupa, and finally into an adult moth. The adult moth crawls out of the pupal case and pushes out of the soil.
