Field Guide
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Elephant Hawk-moth
Deilephila elpenor
Not yet photographed by the community
Stunning pink-and-olive hawk-moth; caterpillar resembles an elephant.
Species Profile
Green List (not of conservation concern in the UK)
- Lifespan
- 4–6 weeks as an adult moth
- Size & Weight
- Wingspan 34–38 mm; body length approximately 25–27 mm
- Habitat
- Gardens, woodland edges, parks, and areas with abundant willowherb and bedstraw plants, from lowland to upland regions.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland; generally resident with population increases in late summer from continental migrants.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar from a variety of flowers including honeysuckle, bedstraw, and valerian, particularly at dusk and dawn.
- Predators
- Birds, spiders, and small mammals; nocturnal habits provide protection from most daytime predators.
- Mating Season
- May to September, with two broods per year in the UK
- Breeding
- Females lay eggs singly on or near food plants; caterpillars take 4–6 weeks to develop; pupation occurs in loose cocoons in soil or leaf litter.
- Behaviour
- Named for the eyespots on the caterpillar's thorax resembling an elephant's face, a defence mechanism when threatened. Adults are strongly nocturnal and attracted to lights. Males engage in hill-topping behaviour during warm afternoons.
- •The caterpillar can rear up and display prominent eyespots on its thorax when disturbed, mimicking the head of a much larger animal to deter predators.
- •It is one of the UK's largest and most colourful hawk-moths, with striking pink and olive-green markings on the wings.
- •Adults hover like hummingbirds while feeding on nectar, using their long proboscis to reach deep flower nectaries.
- •The species has expanded its range northwards in recent decades, likely due to climate change and increased cultivation of food plants in gardens.
- •Caterpillars feed on willowherbs and bedstraws, and their populations can reach high densities in late summer, sometimes causing minor damage to garden plants.
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