Elephant Hawk Moth pupa

[Harry Eales]

Tim,

EH larva usually feed at night so are seldom seen. The young larva can be either green or brown with the usual eye spots, but all appear to become brown in later instars. The green form can hide in the leaves who's colour they match. Later when Brown they tend to decend to the lower stems which are brown. Fuschia is one of the foodplantas but Rosebay Willowherb is more commonly used. Camouflage is important to their survival.

Occasionally of a sunny day the larvae may appear for an hour or so about midday but they don't stay feeding for long. The moth equivelent of a 'midnight snack' lol.

Harry

[Dragon lady]

My EHM's emerged at the end of June about a week apart and went happily on their way in the evening once all the birds were out of the way!! I haven't as yet seen any more caterpillars in the garden but I keep looking. Thanks for all your help.

[timmeroo]

We had a bit of a wet session yesterday, so Ellie wasn't about until later, then we thought she'd gone again but then espied her well up the plant tucking into a 'fuschia leaf smoothy' - and was still at it well after dark and didn't seem to mind me returning to take the odd action shot with the flash. (Pity i can't post them here). Weird how they stretch out their proboscus and nibble away. Think I counted 3 pairs of feet gripping onto the stem - maybe 4. Looked this morning - gone again, but has kindly left his calling card resting on an uppermost leaf!

Our Ellie is of the darker variety. Looked quite black when we first saw it, but seems to have paled a bit since - or mabe that is the effect of elongation? By the by - male or female - can one tell?

[timmeroo]

Update: strewth can this fella eat. All of a sudden 'ellie's' eating like there's no tomo. Starting to really look like a snake too and I'm getting some fantastic night shots. Tonight he/she has been at the topmost branch sucking and chewing at the Fuschia Bud(weiser) Bar ! Fully stretched and fully exposed; a photographic dream - can see why they only feast at night. Still don't know where he disappears too or from which direction he returns. Hey ho.

[timmeroo]

Strictly speaking my continuing queries are not of the Pupa stage, but as I can't fathom how one starts a new thread in EHM section I'll just have to make do here.

Since my last post when Ellie was luxuriating on our lovely moist fuschia, he has taken on a very dull and slothful appearance almost as if its too much energy to reach the plant, slumbers awhile then makes an effort to get up to the leaves. Last night I was so concerned that he had actually flaked out in mid chew on a branch. Said branch had leant over and was thus going to leave the little fella exposed if he was still there when the dawn chorus came around. With that I slid a bucket over the leaning branch to protect 'Ellie' from poss. preying eyes. However, by 9 of a morning he had disappeared. Thankfully he has returned tonight but was seemingly again looking rather 'dead' as if the effort of getting back to the plant had been exhaustive. In view of the fact we had had little rain in our corner of NW Norfolk and have had to frequently get the hose out - and hadn't done so for a couple of days due to odd showers - I set about watering our very dry garden esp in the immediate area of the fuschia.
The effect was almost instant, the little fella gathered itself and proceeded forth to the nearest stem and was last seen having made its way to the top of the plant, presumably quenching a over long thirst.
Ellie has noticeably paled and lost its distinctive markings. Perhaps this is as a result of a lack of moisture or perhaps he is on the turn for the pupa stage. I still have not fathomed where it is he's heading off to between meals but the nearest 'leafy cove' is about 2 ft away; a small purple leafed ground covering plant that has dead and dried leaves at its base, and I wonder if this is perhaps where Ellie is going (though I have looked and find no evidence). Either that, or heading further afield to next doors compost heap. I just wonder how far these chaps will venture from their only food scource, when there seems so little to choose from for sounding out a good place to pupate.

[timmeroo]

Somewhere to the undergrowth
Ellie has gone to await the coming year.
When May will come to signal the time
for Ellie the Moth to appear.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by timmeroo

Somewhere to the undergrowth
Ellie has gone to await the coming year.
When May will come to signal the time
for Ellie the Moth to appear.

Ermm wait a minute - what's that stuck to the bottom of my shoe?
;^)

Jim