Subject: Moth Identification
Geographic location of the bug: England
Date: 06/25/2018
Time: 10:20 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Found this moth in a tunnel my mother is keen to identify
How you want your letter signed: Amy
Dear Amy,
This is a Hawkmoth in the family Sphingidae, and we quickly identified it as an Eyed Hawkmoth, Smirinthus ocellata, thanks to images on UK Moths where it states: “Fairly well distributed throughout England and Wales, this species has a sombre, camouflaged appearance at rest, but if provoked, flashes the hindwings, which are decorated with intense blue and black ‘eyes’ on a pinkish background. The adults fly from May to July, inhabiting woodland and suburban localities.” According to Butterfly Conservation: “The pink hindwings are decorated with black and blue ‘eyes’, used to flash at predators.”