I found this cat on my Asters.
My Beautiful White Lined Sphinx Moth.
I took in and fed it, and it tuned into this;
On a Coneflower, it was very sweet and hung around for pictures.
Here it is at night feeding with its wings open, notice the pink undrewings.
Cool, Josephine! I just love those moths! I saw one earlier this spring, but haven't seen any cats.
What a beautiful cat and moth, frostweed!
Would you believe a sphinx moth that looked like yours flew into my kitchen last year? Based on the lines on the wings, I think mine was a banded sphinx - what do you think?
Sherry
Great photos! I see those moths every now and then near the mercury vapor security light. Good to know what the caterpillars look like. Will have to keep a watch for some.
Thanks for sharing!!!
~ Cat
Thank you Everyone it was a lot of fun.
I believe you are right a bout the Banded Sphinx Sherry here is a link;
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3449
Josephine.
Josephine, that is so cool! I love those moths so much, one of my very favorites How did you feed it and take it in?
I actually bought 2 plants that had a cat on each on them looked like your cat. I planted the plants with the cats on them thinking they would be perfectly safe but now I fear that they may have been eaten by a bird. I feel bad that I could have taken them inside!!!!
Anyway, beautiful moth and pictures, loved seeing it.
What did you feed it? Nice pic.
Frostweed,
Both of you are great at moth identification!!! Ya'll were able to distinguish the differences!!!
You have a White-Lined Moth and Sherry has a Banded Sphinx. Nice to see such similar moths on the same thread.
For the rest of us that think they all look alike (I tend to say that about the brown skipper butterflies) the easiest way to distinguish the two moths is to look at the stripe going down the middle of the body.
WLS has a broken looking line that is marked with white, black and brown
BS has a solid thick line
WLS head markings consists of four lines (or two unfilled elongated trianglular designs)
BS has two thick lines
WLS has slightly dark rings around the abdomen and no visible side stripes
BS has distinct light rings around the abdomen and visible light colored side stripes
White-Lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata)
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3477
Banded Sphinx (Eumorpha fasciatus)
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3449
~ Cat
ps...this is one of the White Lined Sphinx moths that I get around the garage light. Out here they tend to look more brownish green than a dark army green.
This message was edited May 29, 2009 10:38 AM
...and to confuse ya'll further...here's a Vine Sphinx moth (Eumorpha vitis vitis). They all look similar don't ya think?! :o) This one is of the same genus as Sherry's moth.
These like using native Cissus vines as a larval host plant.
Am glad I have a mercury vapor security light by the garage!!! I get a variety of moths throughout the year on the garage walls :o) I try to remember to step outside the garage and check the wall before I get into the vehicle to leave for work - but when I forget I usually end up noticing something on the wall as I am backing out of the garage. Then of course, I have to turn off the vehicle, get the camera and take photos!!!
~ Cat
This message was edited May 29, 2009 10:37 AM
Do you think this one is a Lesser Vine Sphinx?
Datura - that looks like the Eumorpha fasciatus - Banded Sphinx aka Lesser Vine Sphinx.
Don't you just love the huge bodies of those sphinx moths :o)
~ Cat
Wow! gorgeous moths, I fed my cat the plant I found it on, purple aster.
Josephine.