Today, I saw one of the most beautiful insects I had ever seen.
While out on a garden clear up I was moving some weeds and came across this amazing creature.
Over the past few weeks, I have heard people talk about this caterpillar and I have seen some pictures, but I had never seen one in my life so close up.
This baby is called the elephant hawk caterpillar and I have to say that I am so thankful in the Lord for letting me find one.
This caterpillar is about 2.5 inches long and has a thick body to boot, I couldn't help but pick it up and have a closer look at it.
With what looks like a massive head at the front with two big eyes this isn't it's true head, and when it is scared it retracts to make this look even bigger to scare away predators.
The real head is only so small and looks strange as it is crawling about with a chunky section so close to its head.
The skin is so smooth, it is like velvet but its little spike at the end is firm like a rose bush thorn but not at all sharp.
The patterns on this magnificent creature made it look like part of the weeds I was pulling out of the ground, and if I had not had stopped when I did it would have made its way into the weed mulcher.
I am just so happy that I got the opportunity to see this first hand, my customer said she didn't want it in her garden so I have now homed it in my butterfly tunnel at my allotment.
I happen to know that it will eat Fushia and finally when it is full will make it's way to the ground to spin its cocoon and that will be the last time I see it until next summer when it will come out as a moth.
How cool is it to find something like this? whats the biggest caterpillar you have ever seen?
This has to be the biggest one I have ever seen here in the UK.
Until next time my friends, stay safe.
Hawk moth caterpillars are a regular in my gardens, big insects flourish in warmer climates. They are also a big favourite of mine. Here's a pupa I found, I'm always fascinated by the separate tube for the proboscis that some species of Sphinx moth have. I currently have 2 of these safe in a potplant after I unearthed them while digging in the garden. So far, it seems that they are still healthy and the moths will hatch out when they are ready
That is freaking amazing, look at how long the curl is on that thing, that is and has to be the most amazing cocoon I have ever seen. I really need to find one of them in my garden, I am so jealous
They don't all do that, some look more like usual. I don't know how deep the caterpillars would go in the UK, because you have snow in winter. Ours are found in quite shallow, loose soil, it makes sense, because the caterpillar has to dig it's way into the ground. Here's one I found and watched as it dug.I never saw when it emerged but I did find the empty skin so I know it pupated successfully https://hive.blog/insects/@nikv/time-to-sleep
Very cool . I've only seen pics of these as well. We do have a close relative that flies around here in Roswell NM. US called Hummingbird Moths. My neighbor's brush oak bush seems to attract them even when there no flowers. I've yet to see the caterpillars though. Following you
@roswellrockman I am already so jealous of you, not because of the hummingbird moths, but where you live.
Roswell NM. is one place in the world I would love to see, or even live.
I started a huge fascination with the place back when I was about 8 years old. you probably know why. :D
I have read the books called Roswell high, got to be my all-time favorite books I have ever read, and I have even watched the TV programs based on the books too.
There is so much I would love to learn about Roswell that I could spend a weekday and night just on how close the books were to the actual place where you live. :D
There is a lot to see in New Mexico. Roswell is just a small snippet of that. The major highlight is Carlesbad caverns. When I was a kid in Buffalo NY, I had read about Jim White and how he discovered the caves. For being a kid that place was on the other side of the world. I never dreams I would actually see it. I've visited there over a half dozen times now.
oh, man. I wish I was over there every day, I will probably never get to visit in my lifetime, I do have plans to go over to America in the future but it depends on a lot of things.
Jim White, I haven't heard that name in a long time, there was an article I was reading many years ago and it went into how he went through caves and would tell everyone about what he had seen. amazing. I am a little rusty on it but I remember a few things. :D