Subject: What kind of moth is this?
Geographic location of the bug: Upstate New York
Date: 06/09/2019
Time: 12:32 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: A neighbor found this moth in her garden. It sprays a liquid from its hind end when threatened. We are in Bloomingdale, NY. Upstate. Wondering what kind of moth it is.
How you want your letter signed: Al Schrage
Dear Al,
This is a Modest Sphinx, Pachysphinx modesta, and we speculate that the “liquid from its hind end” is a byproduct of its recent metamorphosis into an adult. You can read more about the Modest Sphinx on Sphingidae of the Americas.