Friday, June 20, 2008

Elephant Hawk Moth

The other night a big moth flew in through the open patio doors, presumably attracted by the light. I tried to chase it out before I closed the doors, but it disappeared, and I thought, Oh well I'll find it dead in the morning somewhere. When I put out the breakfast bowls in the kitchen before bedtime, I spotted the moth on the floor. Quickly I got a glass out and intended to catch it in order to set it free outside. It did not move much, only enough to attach itself to the outside of the glass.

It was then that I discovered how beautiful it was. Wow! The moth seemed content to just sit there, making no attempt to fly off. So I got the camera out and got some stunning pictures. I later researched it on the net and found that it was an Elephant Hawk Moth, quite common in both the UK and on the European continent. Did you know there are such colourful moths out there? I thought they were all grey or pale brown, but this!?

Elephant Hawk Moth 3

Elephant Hawk Moth 2

Elephant Hawk Moth 1

On a sadder note, I discovered that our garden had turned into some nasty killing fields. As you might remember I feed the birds all year, and at this particular time there are a great number of them, in particular since they all have had little ones. But next to the feeding place there is a shrub, that until yesterday had like a skirt of branches hanging down, a perfect hiding place for cats. You can guess the rest. I found a total of fifteen (15!) Great Tits, mostly young ones, in various states of decay under that shrub. There are still loads of them, but sometimes I can't help but think that Mother Nature is very cruel. I had seen birds getting caught on a couple of occasions, but it wasn't until I lifted up the low branches that I discovered the whole gruesome truth. The most annoying thing about it is that the cats don't eat them, they just kill them. I know it is instinct rather than malice, but anyway. Consequently I trimmed the shrub so there is now nowhere to hide. It looks rather like a big fat lollipop, round on top and held up by a cluster of wooden stems.

great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723 great_tit_tcm9-39723

13 comments:

Diane Mandy said...

I've never seen a moth like that!

swenglishexpat said...

Diane - I thought it must have escaped from a collector or somewhere. It looks almost tropical!

Eric Valentine said...

That sure is a beautiful looking moth, I've never seen a colorful one like that before.

It seems funny reading your post, for three nights ago we too had a similer moth experience, this one was quite dull though, plus he got away.. :)

Snooker said...

Mother Nature can be both a beautiful and a horrifying thing... often at the same time.

swenglishexpat said...

Eric & Snooker - And I always thought that butterflies were supposed to be beautiful and moths dull-looking. This pink colour beats them all I think.

CanadianSwiss said...

Good to have you back, Swenglish! I see you had a great time back home with many, many happy celebrations. And what a beautiful moth. I never knew they could be that colourful! And you say they're common??

I think you did the right thing by cutting the shrubs back. That may save quite a few bird lives :)

swenglishexpat said...

CS - Thanks, since I cut the shrub, not a single (as far as I know) bird has been lost. They get plenty of warning time now.

Lynda said...

Stunning moth... perhaps you should send the photo to a collector?

As for the tits... so sad, damn cats. Australia has been trying to enforce a law that cats in suburbs adjoining national parks and reserves must be locked up at night... fat chance. The damage they do to the local wildlife is dire.

swenglishexpat said...

Lynda - Now there's an idea, send photos to a collector. Yeah, why not? The third one I think is particularly beautiful.

Stacey said...

What a beautiful coloured moth...I have never seen one like this before..and probably never will again ;-)

swenglishexpat said...

Stacey - Thanks for visiting. Sometimes one finds beauty in the most unlikely places.

1st Lady said...

Beautiful moth! There's very few birds in the back garden here in Edinburgh and we dont try to encourage them either, far too many cats wandering around and like with you, too many hiding places! Shame really, I love to watch birds at a feeder.

swenglishexpat said...

1st Lady - Sometimes I feel a bit like Bill Oddie looking out the patio doors from the dinner table at the feeders. But it has a got a certain modest charm about it.