Elephant Hawk moth. (1 Viewer)

Hi from a newbie to this forum.

This afternoon i found what i eventually found out was an elephant hawk catapiller in my garden and i was hoping that my son and i could look after it and watch it change into the E-Hawk moth.Is this possible ? , if so how should a go about creating an enviorement that it will live in and eventually change into a moth in ?

Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful.

kind regards

JOX

jox said:

Hi from a newbie to this forum.

This afternoon i found what i eventually found out was an elephant hawk catapiller in my garden and i was hoping that my son and i could look after it and watch it change into the E-Hawk moth.Is this possible ? , if so how should a go about creating an enviorement that it will live in and eventually change into a moth in ?

Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful.

kind regards
JOX

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Hello Jox,
If it is an Elephant Hawk moth larva you have, it will either have fed on Willowherb or Fuschia. Have a look around the area where you found it and see which of the two plants it is likely to have come from.

The larva may be nearly if not fully fed, as they seldom leave their foodplant until they are ready to pupate. When nearly ready they take on a slightly oily appearance and loose some of their bright coloration.

They are quite easy to rear provided you take a few precautions. Obtain a large plastic box, Tupperware will do, line it with a piece of kitchen paper towel and place two or three sprigs of foodplant in it with the larve. If you give it Fuschia change all the foodplant once a day, if you give it Willowherb change it twice a day, as it wilts very quickly. If the larva makes no attempt to feed then it is either :-


A. About to moult, in which case to not disturb it until the moult is complete and it is moving around again. Or
B. About to pupate.

If the latter, you will need to gather a good double handful of leaves. Willowherb leaves will do. Dry these off in an oven at a very low heat for half an hour or so. This should remove any moisture from them and also kill off any possible pests present.

Place the dead and dry leaves into the plastic box again lined with kitchen paper towel and introduce the larve. It may wander about for some time before starting to draw the leaves together to form a loose cocoon in which it will pupate. Once it has started to spin this cocoon cover the top with a piece of muslin or other fine meshed fabric and place it in a place that is cool all year round. That does not mean the shed or greenhouse, temperatures there fluctuate considerably. A shelf in an unheated garage is better. Then Dd not disturb it at all.

From late April, mist it lightly with water once a week, but do not soak it. This can be done through the fabric mesh covering the box. From early May examine it every day to see it the moth has emerged. With luck, one day you will have a nice fresh Elephant Hawk Moth. Moths bred in captivity tend to emerge slightly earlier than in the wild.

Any other queries, don't hesitate to ask.

Harry.

WOW!!! Lucky you to have found an Elephant hawk Moth caterpillar...I haven't seen one since I was in Middle School!!! I think I was about 10/11ish and I'm 36 now so it's been a while!
I'm no expert, and I'm sure there'll be more experienced members of Bird Forum who can help you more, but I would have thought that the caterpillar can be reared to the moth stage by keeping it supplied with the correct foodplant...Rosebay Willowherb?...in a well-ventilated cage/tank with an inch or so of compost on the floorfor it to pupate in.
It's been a few years since I kept caterpillars and as I've just moved house most of my reference books are still packed away, but I'm sure the above will be ok!
I'm frightfully envious though...have been looking for one of these caterpillars for absolutely donkey's years!!! Can't pass Willowherb without giving it a quick check!!!
Sure other members will be more helpful....keep us posted on the caterpillars progress...will be great to hear about it!

Gill

Me again!!! Just read Harry's reply....ignore mine!
I'll make a note of your instructions Harry...just in case I ever find a caterpillar! Honestly thought most moth larvae pupated in the ground...thanks for keeping me right! I've learnt something there!

GILL

Thanks Harry,
The caterpillar seems very active at the moment, I have put fuschia leaves in as i found it near our fuschia plant and also i don't know what willow herb looks like!!
I can't wait to see the moth as pictures i have looked up seem pretty impressive.

Jox

Gill the birder said:

WOW!!! Lucky you to have found an Elephant hawk Moth caterpillar...I haven't seen one since I was in Middle School!!! I think I was about 10/11ish and I'm 36 now so it's been a while!
I'm no expert, and I'm sure there'll be more experienced members of Bird Forum who can help you more, but I would have thought that the caterpillar can be reared to the moth stage by keeping it supplied with the correct foodplant...Rosebay Willowherb?...in a well-ventilated cage/tank with an inch or so of compost on the floorfor it to pupate in.
It's been a few years since I kept caterpillars and as I've just moved house most of my reference books are still packed away, but I'm sure the above will be ok!
I'm frightfully envious though...have been looking for one of these caterpillars for absolutely donkey's years!!! Can't pass Willowherb without giving it a quick check!!!
Sure other members will be more helpful....keep us posted on the caterpillars progress...will be great to hear about it!

Gill

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Hello Gill,
Most Elephant Hawk moth larva feed at night, so searching for them with a torch is necessary. However, if it is a warm sunny day they often come out to feed from noon onwards. Searching large clumps of Willowherb is difficult. I find it easier to look for a 'Brownfield' site where the Willowherb tends to grow in small clumps of three or four short stems, it's easy to find the larva then. Elephant Hawk moth larva do not bury themselves in the ground to pupate, unlike the great majority of Hawkmoths, but pupate on the surface in a loose cocoon. It is a common moth in Northumberland. I usually see a dozen or so larva each year even if I'm not looking for them. Have a look next weekend, they are nearly fully fed at this time of year and easy to spot.

Harry

jox said:

Thanks Harry,
The caterpillar seems very active at the moment, I have put fuschia leaves in as i found it near our fuschia plant and also i don't know what willow herb looks like!!
I can't wait to see the moth as pictures i have looked up seem pretty impressive.

Jox

Click to expand...

Jox,
Willowherb is an abundant plant, Rosebay Willowherb being the commonest. It tends to grow in large clumps some 5-6 feet high and topped by a purple/pink flower head anything up to a foot long. The stems have leaves like that of a willow all the way up the stem. Try a search on Google for this plant you will have hundreds of hits.

Harry

What a fascinating thread - it's been about 30 years since I've seen an E Hawkmoth caterpillar - I remember finding one as a child and rearing it (much more by luck than judgement), unfortunately when it turned into a moth I was terrified, which was a shame because it was very beautiful. I have always had a phobia of moths - I wouldn't even go into a room with a dead one but about a year ago we left our outside security light on by mistake and in the morning the back wall of the house was pretty well covered with various moths - of course none of them were flying and I was fascinated - getting a book I set about identifying them - I had no idea they came in such shapes and sizes. Becoming interested in them somehow cured my phobia - I can now catch and handle them when they fly into the conservatory at night, something I still find increadible. (I am still working on developing an interest in spiders, it's proving a bit more of a challenge !) :news:

Hello Gill and Jox and welcome to Birdforum from all the Moderators and Admin. Staff.
As you have seen we have some cery talented members on here who are always willing to share their knowledge and experience.

jox said:

Thanks Harry,
I don't know what willow herb looks like!!
I can't wait to see the moth as pictures i have looked up seem pretty impressive.

Jox

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Hello Jox I have attached a picture of RoseBay Willowherb. I'm sure you'll recognise it, as it can be found almost everywhere. Also a picture of a specimen I bred last year.

Harry

update on my elephant hawk moth

After wandering about for so long that i was starting to feel guilty about capturing it, our elephant hawk caterpiller finally settled under the fuschia leaves which i had put in and hasn't moved since so i am assuming that it is about to pupate.

I havn't dried the leaves off in the oven as i thought it was going to eat them (although i did put in a good double handfull, i thought it might be very hungry!!)

Should i just leave it alone now or try to put in some dried leaves? Also how long does it take before it will emerge as a moth, i know that i will be itching to peep at it and although i am very excited at the prospect of seeing the moth and setting it free, quite frankly i think i will probably be terrified!!

Jox

jox said:

After wandering about for so long that i was starting to feel guilty about capturing it, our elephant hawk caterpiller finally settled under the fuschia leaves which i had put in and hasn't moved since so i am assuming that it is about to pupate.

I havn't dried the leaves off in the oven as i thought it was going to eat them (although i did put in a good double handfull, i thought it might be very hungry!!)

Should i just leave it alone now or try to put in some dried leaves? Also how long does it take before it will emerge as a moth, i know that i will be itching to peep at it and although i am very excited at the prospect of seeing the moth and setting it free, quite frankly i think i will probably be terrified!!

Jox

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Hello Jox

Don't do anything except cover the top of the box with a netting of some sort, this will provide ventilation and the leaves will dry out naturally. Whatever you do, don't make it airtight by putting the lid on as the foodplant is likely to go mouldy. Put in into the cool place I suggested and leave it alone for at least a week or so. It will take several days to spin up and pupate and a further 24-36 hours for the new pupal case to harden. Disturbance during this period can be fatal.

It's going to be at least eight months until the moth emerges so you are going to have to patient. In the spring it will be safe to move it into an old Shoe box with the cardboard insides well roughened, so that when the moth emerges it will be able to hang vertically from one of the sides whilst it's wings expand and dry. A net covering over the top will let you see what it anything is going on.

A fully fed Hawk Moth larva will often wander for some days until it finds somewhere to it's liking to pupate. Last year I had a Convolvulous Hawk Moth larva do this for three days before it decided where it wanted to be. As this was the first ever larva of this species discovered in Co.Durham it had me worried for a while. Fortunately I was successfull in getting a perfect adult specimen.

Harry

elephant hawk moth

Hello Harry

Thanks Harry I feel confident that i know what i'm doing now, I struggled in the library and on the internet to find any advice beyond identfying our caterpillar.

If all goes well i think next year i will be spending quite some time looking for caterpillars in my garden.

Jox

jox said:

Hello Harry

Thanks Harry I feel confident that i know what i'm doing now, I struggled in the library and on the internet to find any advice beyond identfying our caterpillar.

If all goes well i think next year i will be spending quite some time looking for caterpillars in my garden.

Jox

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Hi Jox,
If you have a look at your Fuschia(s) at night with a torch, you may well find more Elephant Hawk Moth larva, it is seldom that only one egg is laid on one plant. You may find several other caterpillars.

On the subject of larva, I was out earlier this year looking for the larva of Purple Hairstreak butterfly by 'beating' Oak. I did find what I was looking for, but for each Purple Hairstreak Larva I found there were at least thirty moth species larva in the beating tray. Caterpillers are very easy to find providing you use the correct collecting techniques.

Harry

Well after spending a good portion of yesterday morning scouring patches of Rosebay Willowherb along the canal (and attracting some funny looks !), I have just re-read Harry's posts and now see I should have been looking at night !!

Metermaid said:

Well after spending a good portion of yesterday morning scouring patches of Rosebay Willowherb along the canal (and attracting some funny looks !), I have just re-read Harry's posts and now see I should have been looking at night !!

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Hello Metermaid,
If all else fails, read the instructions (lol) Elephant Hawk moth larva descend to the base of the foodplant during the day and hide amongst dead leaves and other vegetation, making them almost impossible to find. It's just on hot sunny days that they sometimes appear and feed in the afternoon. Try again if, and when we get a hot day (unlikely this year) Don't forget there are two colour forms of larva, a green form is also to be found as well as the more common brown form. Best of luck on your next try.

Harry

Many thanks for your reply Harry.... I am planning to have a look one evening in the dark - let's just hope I don't finish up in the canal ! :eek!:

What now ?

It now 9 months later and i have an elephant hawk moth which i assume i need to release into the wilds of my garden.Anybody got any advice of how,when and where this should be ???

jox said:

It now 9 months later and i have an elephant hawk moth which i assume i need to release into the wilds of my garden.Anybody got any advice of how,when and where this should be ???

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Congratulations jox, or should I say Daddy. lol.

It should be released in the late evening before dark as it is less likely to come to the attention of any passing predators. I presume you have it in some sort of box. Just coax it onto your hand and then onto a fence where it will remain until it decides to fly off.

If your reluctant to handle it, then just place the box or container outside under a hedge, or somewhere where it is sheltered from any shower that may occur before it flies off. If there are cats in the area try to put it in a place they had difficulty in getting access.

Best of luck and well done.

Harry

What a moment! our elephant hawk moth very easily crawled onto my hand (I can't believe I did it, but so glad that I did)and is now on the fence in our garden. It has been well worth the long wait as it is a truly beautiful moth. I can't wait to get the photo's developed.

Thanks for all your advice, it was invaluable.

Jo

p.s. I'm mummy, not daddy!