Subject: Can anyone identify?
Geographic location of the bug: Northumberland national park uk
Date: 07/08/2019
Time: 05:07 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi would be great if you could Identify this, my partner is at work and is dying to find out!
How you want your letter signed: Katherine
Dear Katherine,
This beauty is a Large Elephant Hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor, and according to UK Moths: ” The English name of this moth is derived from the caterpillar’s fanciful resemblance to an elephant’s trunk. The adults are attractively coloured pink and green affairs, with a streamlined appearance. They fly from May to July, visiting flowers such as honeysuckle (Lonicera) for nectar. The larvae feed mainly on rosebay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium), but also other plants as well, including bedstraw (Galium). It is a common species in most of Britain, including Scotland, where it has increased its range in recent years.”