In the summer our weedy garden and house was aflutter with these beautiful hawk moths, they look way too exotic for humble Blighty. You get this critter also in a smaller size namely the small elephant hawk moth, the more obvious difference is the pink stripe going down the back of the insect which is absent in the smaller, yellowy species.
I really enjoy these moths and can’t believe my eyes when I encounter them. I’ve yet to discover the ‘elephant trunk’ like caterpillar which gives this species its name. But sadly with the rapid urbanisation and large housing developments going on, tearing up the countryside in Kent, I suspect these will be an increasingly rarer sight. The neighbours don’t like it, but we’re trying to keep our garden healthily wild, you just don’t know what you’re missing when caking the world in turf, tarmac and cement.
