This moth was on my screen, almost looked like carved wood. Shades of brown, approx. 2-3 inches wide.
July 6, 2010
The moth stayed on the screen for 3 days before leaving. It was the end of June. very interesting wing patterns, thick body and 4 wings.
artqueen
Duxbury, Ma. (southern Ma.)
Small Eyed Sphinx
Dear artqueen,
Your moth is one of the Sphinx Moths or Hawkmoths in the family Sphingidae. It is Paonias myops, commonly called the Small Eyed Sphinx. You can read more about this species on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. According to Oehlke: “Wild cherry species are the favorites as larval foodplants, but eggs will also be deposited on birches and other forest trees.“
Bee/Beetle/Fly ????
July 5, 2010
Dear Bugman,
We were out in our garden when we saw this weird bee??? collecting pollen. We thought it was very odd and had never seen anything like it before. It has very hairy legs and was definetly collecting pollen. It has wings almost like a dragonfly and antenna like a butterfly. We really don’t know that much about bugs but do know that we have never seen anything like it…soooo we were hoping you could help us identify it. Thanks!!
Manda & Michael
Clay City, Indiana
Squash Vine Borer
Dear Manda and Michael,
This moth is a wasp mimic in the family Sesiidae, and it is the Squash Vine Borer, Melittia cucurbitae. The female wasp lays her eggs on the stems of squash and pumpkin vines, and the larvae are stem borers that can cause considerable damage to the plants.
Black and orange fly, or wasp
July 5, 2010
I saw this in my garden and can’t find anything that looks quite like this. It was on my zucchinin plants and was about an inch to inch and a quarter long and seemed to like being in the sun, the main body was bright orange and the tops of the legs were orange also, on it’s back were black stripes or long spots on it. I don’t have a good picture since I was out in the garden and only had my cell phone.
JD
Northern Illinois, US
Squash Vine Borer
Dear JD,
The Squash Vine Borer, Melittia cucurbitae, that you have photographed and submitted is actually a moth that mimics a wasp.
colorful, large moth?
July 5, 2010
We found this bug in Tennessee outside on our front porch. At first we thought it may be a butterfly, but looks more like a moth.
R Hallums
Clarksville, TN
Regal Moth
Dear R Hallums,
Your speculation that this is a moth is correct. It is a Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth, and it is the adult form of the Hickory Horned Devil, the largest North American caterpillar.
What is this moth?
July 5, 2010
Hi. Could you please help me identify this moth. It fell out of a hedge when I was cutting it. We got a picture and put it back. It has fortunately survived. I initially thought it was a moth when I saw it. It was very docile when we pictured it. It measured approx 3 inches long by four inches wide. It has been pictured on my Grandmas hands. Thanks for your help
Jon
Thornton near Blackpool. Lancashire
Poplar Hawkmoth
Hi Jon,
According to the UK Moths website, the Poplar Hawkmoth, Laothoe populi, is: “Probably the commonest of our hawk-moths, it has a strange attitude when at rest, with the hindwings held forward of the forewings, and the abdomen curved upwards at the rear. If disturbed it can flash the hindwings, which have a contrasting rufous patch, normally hidden. Distributed commonly throughout most of Britain, the adults are on the wing from May to July, when it is a frequent visitor to light. The larvae feed on poplar (Poplar), aspen (P. tremula) and sallow (Salix).“
Found a huge, brown moth on my daughter’s bike tire, what is it?
July 3, 2010
At an invitation to “come outside and see something really cool” I followed my 6 year old out to her bike. I was surprised to find a moth about 3 inches long resting on her tire. It has a beautiful face with huge, dark eyes. I searched the web and thought it might be a Sphinx Moth of some sort, you can hopefully tell me better.
Shalaine
Tamworth, Ontario, Canada
Northern Ash Sphinx
Hi Shalaine,
YOur moth is a Northern Ash Sphinx, Sphinx chersis, and Bill Oehlke’s excellent website has some great information on the species.
Large moth. Cecropia?
July 2, 2010
I once found an alien looking being, took a picture, but lost it in a catastrophic PC failure a few years ago before I could identify it. Out of massive amounts of data that I’ve lost only those pictures and a few audio recordings really bothered me and I think about them every once in a while. Today I was finally fed up and decided to pour over the internet for as much time as I needed to and make as much of a fool of myself describing the weird creature on forums as I must until I find out what was it. I was ready! I was pumped!
Three minutes later it was all over… I immediately found your site, and found what I was looking for in a few more clicks of the mouse. You kind of destroyed my initial enthusiasm for a quest, but don’t get me wrong – the site is awesome and I was very grateful once the adrenalin wore off.
Now I still have a small problem. The being I remember looks a lot like a Cecropia Moth Caterpillar, and the moth itself (pictured on your site) looks a lot like the moths I see all the time. But they’re not quite the same! I actually have a few pictures of the moths I’m used to, but only when I searched through them trying to find a good one to post here I noticed there are differences. Hence the two images.
I would very much like to know if the moths on my pictures are indeed Cecropia moths or some variety thereof, and if the caterpillar I’ve seen is from the same species. Is it weird that I see the moths all the time for as long as I can remember and the caterpillar only once? Are my moths of different varieties?
Thank you very much!
Image 1: taken in May
Image 2: taken in August
Same location.
John
Europe, Serbia, 43.37N, 20.41E, ~400m
Giant Peacock Moth
Hi John,
Your letter has us quite intrigued. Your assumption that your moth resembles the Cecropia Moth is understandable, as they are both in the same family, Saturniidae, but the Cecropia Moth is a North American species. If you saw one in Serbia, it must have been introduced or it escaped from captivity. The moth in your photo is the Great Peacock Moth or Giant Peacock Moth, Saturnia pyri, the largest moth in Europe. You may read more about the Giant Peacock Moth on the Saturniidae of the Western Palaearctic website. Your second moth is a Sphinx Moth or Hawkmoth in the family Sphingidae, but we need to do additional research on the species.
Beige brown Hawk-Moth?
June 29, 2010
I’m in Denver, Colorado, and found this moth hanging on my front door screen. I did not fly away, so I photographed it a lot and later this night it was “training” it’s wings and finally flew away. I would like to know if I got the identification right 
Thank you in advance for your response.
Angela
Denver, Colorado, USA
Western Poplar Sphinx
Hi Angela,
Thanks for sending us your excellent photos of a Western Poplar Sphinx, Pachysphinx occidentalis. You can read about it on BugGuide as well as Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. Your letter is our final posting before our scheduled website maintenance.
Western Poplar Sphinx
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