Deilephila elpenor
| Distribution: | The Palearctic region |
| Size: | 45 – 60mm wingspan |
| Diet: | Bedstraws, willowherbs, fuchsias (caterpillar), Nectar (moth) |
D.elpenor have excellent night vision – they’re able to see colour at night time which is handy as they’re nocturnal. This impressive colour vision has likely evolved because these beautiful moths feed on nectar during the darkest hours of night and hover to drink, which uses a lot of energy. This resource-heavy method of feeding means it’s crucial the moths are able to locate the correct flowers, and their colour vision enables this.
You might be wondering why these are called elephant hawkmoths. It’s got nothing to do with their massive ears, impressive weight or grey complexion. It’s because their bumpily segmented caterpillars look a bit like an elephant’s trunk, although they actually look more like snakes, especially with their large eyespots used to scare predators.
These are my favourite moths, but thus far I’ve not been lucky enough to spot one in the wild, most likely because my nocturnal vision is greatly inferior to theirs and also probably because our sleep cycles do not coincide.
Take a closer look…
