Deilephila elpenor
Photos by Marjana D. in Vidzeme, Latvia
And this is what the larva becomes!
Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) is a large moth of the Sphingidae family. The species is found throughout Britain and Ireland, its range extending across Europe, Russia, and into China, northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, Japan and Korea.
The larva is about 3.0 in long, green and brown in color. The anterior of the caterpillar appears to have the shape of a trunk-like snout. It is this elephant look, rather than its large size, that gives the moth its name. When startled, the caterpillar draws its trunk into its foremost body segment. This posture resembles a snake with a large head and four large eye-like patches. Caterpillars are preyed upon by birds, but birds are intimidated (at least for some time) from the Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillars in their “snake” pose.
The preferred food plants of the caterpillar are willowherb and bedstraw, though it will also take fuchsias.
The adult moth feeds at night, and often takes nectar from garden plants like Honeysuckles and petunias, so it is quite often seen in urban settings in the evening. The moth typically has a wing span of 2 to 2.8 in. It is spectacularly colored, seeming to shimmer with green and red when in motion.
The Elephant Hawk Moth possesses good night vision and the cellular prerequisites for trichromatic color vision. Adults have been shown to be capable of making color discriminations even at night.
H/t Project Noah
~Eowyn
