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#IrishWildlife

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abominabledrh

“We are a country,” Ronayne says, ruefully, “that has amassed an impressive degree of grim statistics, which tells us nature is being assaulted from every angle.”

‘Total immersive obsession’: meet the man on a mission to record every bird in Ireland | Birds | The Guardian

theguardian.com/environment/20

The Guardian · ‘Total immersive obsession’: meet the man on a mission to record every bird in IrelandBy Sean O’Hagan
#IrishWildlife
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Stan Carey

Was startled by the size and speed of this caterpillar, which turned out to be an Elephant Hawkmoth. I forgot to add something for scale, but I'd say it was at least 8–9 cm long

The beautiful adult is pictured here in a lovely book I copy-edited years ago, Heather Greer's "On Your Doorstep: Moths and Butterflies of Connemara"

A large, thick, grey-brown caterpillar on paving stone. Its narrow head is extended on the left, with several pairs of shiny false eye-spots visible below the head. A small horn projects from the tail. The caterpillar's main body has a series of thin bands of small, irregular, square-like shapes, the overall effect being like intricate brickwork – a living, pulsing pillar!
On the right: 3 photos, one of the caterpillar beside a 2 euro coin, the others of the adult moth: a big, furry, olive-green moth with bright pink bands and underbelly. On the left, this text, slightly abridged: Elephant Hawkmoth. Deilephila elpenor. Forewing: 30–33mm. After the Poplar Hawkmoth, the Elephant Hawkmoth is the most frequently recorded of the hawkmoths in Ireland, and it occurs all over Connemara. There is also a Small Elephant Hawkmoth, also with yellow and pink-red markings; it is much less common but occurs in coastal areas. We rarely see the smaller relative, whereas we see the Elephant Hawkmoth quite often. The Elephant has a row of red rectangular markings along its body; the Small Elephant has solid red on its back. The Elephant Hawkmoth is a really magnificent creature: large, colourful, almost frightening in its beauty. Its caterpillar is large too, as large as the Death's Head Hawkmoth's. The name actually comes from the larva, with its partly grey, projecting head and mouth parts. It can quite often be seen on roads and paths, seeking a pupation site. Larval foodplants include willowherbs and bedstraws, and in Connemara include non-native species, notably Fuchsia magellanica and Himalayan Balsam. The photos are of the Elephant Hawkmoth on Fuchsia, and they show how wonderfully camouflaged the moth is on that shrub. It flies from mid-May to early August, and is most abundant in July. Watch out for large, late-stage caterpillars in August or September.
#mothstodon#moth#moths
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