Well I never did. I have never seen anything quite like this beauty. Climbing up the outside of our wall. Hubby is holding a 50p coin to give you an idea of its size. Notice the bulbous markings near the top (see the reference below)
This is the larva (caterpillar) of the Elephant Hawkmoth.
Even Joss had to come for a look. The quizical look on her face says it all.
Courtesy of Wikipedia here is a picture of the adult Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)
The following information I've extracted from the SAGA site:-
The caterpillar should technically be referred to as a larva since it is the offspring of a moth rather than a butterfly and this is a big one!
The moth in question is called an 'elephant hawkmoth'. Hawkmoths are large moths with a fast and strong flight; there are nine species resident in Britain and probably a further eight which occur as migrants.
The elephant hawkmoth gets its name from the appearance of its larva, not because it is big but because it has a long, trunk-like nose.
However when the larva senses danger it can withdraw its trunk creating a slightly more bulbous head shape; this is when the large eye-like markings on either side of its head can give the impression of a much more imposing creature to scare off potential predators.
During August we are probably more likely to see the larva than the adult form of the elephant hawkmoth but it is worth looking around any outside lights for one of these colourful insects. The adult is about 4 cm long and its markings are a combination of olive green and pink!
So, after all that creepy crawly stuff here is a photo of a yummy dessert I made for our recent visitors. I decided to make the meringue myself rather than rely on a shop bought one being intact.
Filled with 0% Greek Yogurt flavoured with a little vanilla and sweetener and then loaded with kiwi, nectarines, raspberries and pomegranate seeds.
It went down a treat.
We had a brilliant day at Chester Zoo on Monday which I will share with you next time, x
