What is it?
A co-worker of mine took this photo at her home. Can you tell us what this is? It looks somewhat like a bird that resembles a leaf. Is it a bird or an insect? We would appreciate it if you could find out for us. Our curiosity is getting the best of us. We look forward to hearing from you
My name is Judy.
Hi Judy,
This is an insect. It is a Sphinx Moth but we are uncertain of the species. Before we do any additional research, we need to know where this photo was taken to help narrow down the possibilities.
Thanks for writing back. My co-worker took this photo at her home in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. She lives next to Lake Peigneor. This was take just before the hurricanes that arrived in September of 2005. Does this help?
Once you provided us with a location, we quickly located the Mournful Sphinx, Enyo lugubris lugubris, on Bill Oehlke’s site.
The wingspan of Mournful Sphinx around is 50–60 mm. The body and wings are dark brown most likely. The forewing has a large black patch covering most of the outer half of the wing.