William and his girlfriend did their good deed for the day when they rescued this Sphinx Moth from a rain storm. Mothra, as the winged beast came to be known, was quite content to sit in William's hand while it warmed up and tried off.
According to WhatsThatBug (a fantastic site--thank you my readers), this looks to be a Striped Morning Sphinx Moth (celerio lineata). Just be glad you didn't encounter this monster's larvae, William. They grow to be 3 1/2". I, myself, might have been less inclined to allow a huge grub to warm up in my hand than a moth. I'm so superficial.
Sep 18, 2007
Bug Warming
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4 comments:
LOL, you are right. Fate is conspiring against you Wombat. We need a picture of you with a giant larvae draped around your neck somtime in the next week or so. ;p
That's beautiful.
For some reason, I love moths more than butterflies.
They have an earthy beauty, as opposed to butterflies etheral quality. I appreciate the pictures of this guy. :)
I usually don't care for moths.. only b/c they live to dive-bomb your head when they get in the house, but I must say, that moth is absolutely gorgeous!
I had one of these big boys visit my moonflower vines last week. His wingspan was probably around five to six inches, and his eyes actually shone in the porchlight like cats' eyes do. He was bigger than a hummingbird!
It's a shame the caterpillars are Tomato Hornworms. Blegh!
--TwoDragons
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