Subject: PetrH
Location: Czech republic, Moravičany
August 13, 2017 10:22 pm
Can not find what it is, will someone please help me?
Signature: PetrH
Dear PetrH,
This is an Elephant Hawkmoth Caterpillar, Deilephila elpenor, and according to Learn About Butterflies: “The caterpillar is brownish-grey, marked with a network of fine dark lines, much like the folds in the skin of an elephant’s trunk. When it walks, the caterpillar habitually sways the front segments from side to side, again reminiscent of the movement of an elephant’s trunk. The anal segment bears a short horn. The first two abdominal segments each bear a pair of pink and black eye-like markings. If the caterpillar becomes alarmed, it retracts its head, which compresses the thoracic segments and causes these ‘false eyes’ to expand. This gives the caterpillar a snake-like appearance, which presumably acts as a deterrent to predators.”
Would these elephant hawk moths also been found in Northern Ireland because I found one in my garden
According to UK Moths: “It is a common species in most of Britain, including Scotland, where it has increased its range in recent years.”