What is this?

[werdnal]

They are quite common here in our fields, but you are lucky to have one in your garden. They are called Elephant Hawk moths because they look like an elephant's trunk. They rear up like a snake when threatened.

The moths they turn into are beautiful.

[lucyblackmore]

Thank you for all your information, I had no idea what it could be. I got quite shocked when I pulled some weeds up this morning. Will it be by itself? Or is there a family around?

Lucy

[Harry Eales]

Lucy,

The Elephant Hawk Moth usually only lays single ova but a patch of Willowherb or a single plant of Fuschia may have several EH moths lay on them over the flight period.

If injured or damaged an EH female may lay larger numbers of ova on a single Willowherb stem, I once found eighteen ova in such a location, they all hatched and were bred through to the adult stage and then released.

Harry