A herd of elephant hawkmoth caterpillars is trooping across my garden to pupateCaterpillars are on the march. In the past week I've found several elephant hawkmoth caterpillars trooping across my garden. These are arguably the most subtly beautiful of the charismatic hawkmoth grubs. They are deep brown and charcoal grey with four arresting "eyes" of black, brown and silver - part of an armoury of deterrents against voracious birds, which includes the sudden switching into "snake" mode when disturbed, to discombobulate predators. The adult moth takes its name from the caterpillar's trunk-like snout, although its bewitching pink hued wings are also the colour of a cartoon elephant. Continue reading...
Elephants needing a room: hawkmoths on the march for a pupal pad
31. srpna 2017 22:37
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Zdroj: The Guardian