Found this dead Sphinx Moth on the windowsill in the back bed room. He got in but couldn't get out :-(
Now I would like to ID him. I've looked through a bunch of pictures of Moths native to our area, but haven't come across any with pink on the abdomen. It's really pretty.
Dave
Pink-spotted Hawk Moth
That's a nice photo Dave. It would be a nice addition to the bug file page
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/131/
Thanks Donna, researching that right now.
Hi Linda, thanks for the compliment, but I can do much better than that. That was just the ID pic. Tonight I mounted it to a piece of card board and spread it's wings. Loh and behold it's inner wings have pink too. Once it's petrified enough to maintain the wing spread I'll come up with a way to photograph it again against the black background. I need to raise it somehow so the weave of the cloth isn't focused. Then I'll take some macro shots of the beautiful patterning and add a couple pics to bug files.
Dave
Good call Donna,
Agrius cingulata, the "Pink Spotted Hawk Moth", is mainly native to northern South America, Central America and Mexico. So I'm right on the edge of their normal range. But they have spread all over the continent and to other continents. Considered a pest in some places, the huge horned caterpillars are reported to be particularly fond of Sweet Potatoe vines. Well, why not, I'ts a sweet and pretty insect :-)
Here's a pic of him/her with it's wings spread. Cool!
Dave
This message was edited Oct 9, 2007 5:10 PM
They have spread all over...I've had a great number of them this year....great shot!
Thanks Melody :-)
But it's pretty easy to take a great shot of a dead one, LOL. But it also offers a chance to study such a beautiful creature in detail. More pics to come. Too bad the larval stage can be a bit problematic :-(
Dave
