DRAWN TO THE LIGHT

Elephant Hawk-Moth Deilephila elpenor

Aseries on British moths would not be complete without the inclusion of this large, impressive, yet relatively frequently recorded moth. The Elephant Hawk-Moth is the most common of our nine UK resident hawk-moths, especially in southern counties.

Its name refers to the larvae’s resemblance to an elephant’s trunk. With a tendency to be strongly attracted to light, it may enter our houses through open windows on warm nights in the usual flight season of May to early August. Flight is strong and rapid with robust wings of up to 33mm long in a striking combination of olive green and bright pink – the thorax and abdomen also have a coordinated design of lines and stripes in these colours. The long proboscis enables it to feed on tubular flowers such as honeysuckle and nicotiana, when you may see this species hovering around such plants at dusk.

Its habitats are wide-ranging such as wild undisturbed places, grassland, parks, gardens and heathland – anywhere its extremely diverse larval food plants may be found. Eggs are laid on many herbaceous plants, both cultivated and wild, with a preference for willowherbs, bedstraws, vines, hedge bindweed, Himalayan and garden balsam to name a few. The resulting small green nightfeeding larvae hide under the leaves during daylight hours. As they progress through growth stages a more pronounced pattern of black dashes appears along the sides of their large bright green bodies. Now unable to hide so easily, when danger threatens the area behind its head is able to expand revealing dark patches mimicking ‘eyes’, giving the impression to predators of a dangerous snake-like creature. It can sometimes be found feeding among garden displays of fuchsias where they may well not be welcome visitors!

Feeding complete during July to September and now brown in colour, the conspicuous larvae may be seen searching for suitable sites to pupate, overwintering just below ground level until the emergence of the adult moth the following late spring or summer.

Trees children of Symondsbury School to commemorate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III

6th May 2023

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