Catch the showy colours of one of Britain’s largest moths
IT IS MAY, AND THAT MEANS HAWKMOTH season is here again. Hawkmoths are huge and lovely, ensuring they are the most celebrated of all moth families. These are the moths everyone wants to see. In both size and range of colours, they outclass most British butterflies. But perhaps the comparison is bogus, because, scientifically speaking, there is no clear-cut difference between butterflies and moths, just as toads are technically frogs. James Lowen, author of Much Ado About Mothing, puts it like this: “Butterflies are simply moths with good PR”.
With its beautiful pink-and-green livery, the elephant hawkmoth is one of the showiest members of a family known for its show-offs. It flies after dark from May to July in much of the UK, including in suburbia.
From July to September, gardeners find its snake-like caterpillars – that look a little like an elephant’s trunk – crawling over flowerbeds or patios in search of somewhere to pupate. To deter predators, the caterpillars have two black eyespots on their backs.