Musings

Friday, June 19, 2015

Elephant Hawkmoth

One of the high points of last weekend's wedding was, of course, David's recently restored moth trap. I'd never seen a moth trap before so had no idea what to expect. 
It appeared to be a good haul, with some beautiful moths, but the highlight was the single Elephant Hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor
It's caterpillar is equally as spectacular and prefers Epilobium and Galium species to munch on (though also eats fuschias). 
There are of course lots more moths than butterflies so catching them in moth traps ("mothing") is a popular pastime amongst pan-species listers.

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