Subject: Poplar Hawkmoth in Texas?
Location: Wise County, Texas
July 9, 2013 9:36 am
Photographed this today just off my deck – I’m in Wise County, Texas. It looks like the UK moth, but this is Texas! Have they moved here, or is this a related species? Thanks!
Signature: Mary
Hi Mary,
Your moth is in the same family, Sphingidae, as the Poplar Hawkmoth. This is a Walnut Sphinx, Amorpha juglandis, and according to the Sphingidae of the Americas: “The adults are also highly variable; sometimes wings of an individual may be all one color or may have several colors, ranging from pale to dark brown, and may have a white or pink tinge. Patterns range from faint to pronounced.”
Hey, Daniel!
Thank you so much for your quick response. I love its name! It’s gone off to wherever moths fly away to, but I truly enjoyed seeing it – what a beauty!
Mary