Laothoe populi

Hawk-moth saldo 2016

Posted on by in Moths, The caterpillar quest and tagged , , , , , , , , .

In summer 2016 my goal was to spot some caterpillars of Hawk-moth species that I haven’t come across recently. Here’s a wrap-up of all species I managed to find, including the the hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) from which I received caterpillars from a friend.

There’s a lot of challenge left for next year. Nevertheless, it was nice to finally find caterpillars of the Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri). Another nice surprise was to spot a caterpillar of the Eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthus ocellatus). All in all, it has been 7 Hawk-moth species in summer 2016. And bottom line, it’s always a great moment when coming across caterpillars of hawk-moth.

Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Eyed hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Eyed hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Hummingbird hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Hummingbird hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Privet hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Privet Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Broad-bordered bee hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Broad-bordered bee hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Bedstraw hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Bedstraw hawk-moth

Early summer hatchings

Posted on by in Raising updates and tagged , , , .

Time passes. Before one can realize that summer has started it is usually already over. Late spring and early summer was particularly busy this year since we had to arrange our move to our new home. At the same time also most of the chrysalises that overwintered, either in our fridge or on the balcony, hatched.

I rarely managed to keep the camera close by, most commonly I only saw some butterfly that hatched before taking off. However, I did get a couple shots from some of the species. It was nice to see that the Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae), which our daughter found as slightly injured caterpillar, managed to complete the metamorphosis.

Like the year before, I also had a couple Poplar Hawk-moths (Laothoe populi) overwintering. It was great seeing the difference in both sizes and coloring across individuals. The Small Emperor Moths (Saturnia pavonia), which I received as eggs from a friend, were true beauties. I remember one afternoon when I returned from work, there was quite some buzzing on the balcony. Due to a couple females that hatched the same time they managed to attract multiple males that were flying around. I’ll get back with some more photos from this species later on.

Lime Hawk-moth
Lime Hawk-moth
Color shades of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Poplar Hawk-moth
Copula of the Small Emperor Moth
Small Emperor Moth
Tau Emperor

Hatching fun

Posted on by in Family fun, Raising updates and tagged , , , .

Watching butterflies hatch is definitely one of the highlights when dealing with butterflies. In case of many species reaching this moment requires patience. It may easily take up to 10 months or more before the adult hatches.

This spring the first butterflies to hatch were Map butterflies (Araschnia levana). They hatched pretty late due to cold weather throughout spring. The timing was good as most of the 11 chrysalises hatched on a Saturday. The evening before the wings started shimmer through the pupa, a sign that something’s about to happen. I used the moment to prepare a “hatching window” for our daughter Sienna. Despite of the small size of the butterflies I also allowed her letting some of them free (taking some good shots first, of course).

“Hatching window” for observing Map butterflies emerge
Freshly hatched Map butterfly
Map butterfly observed by daughter Sienna
Map butterfly being released into nature
Raising butterflies means getting real close-ups

A week later, the first White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) emerged. This individual was way too early for its species, but originally the caterpillars (which overwinter within the egg) hatched early after spending winter in our fridge. This species is often difficult to spot in nature, and when seeing one flying the wings may have suffered quite a lot already. Therefor, to get a perfect specimen raising them is the best option.

White-letter Hairstreak after hatching
Sienna taking a close look at the tiny hairstreak
White-letter Hairstreak being reviewed by Sienna
Freshly hatched White-letter Hairstreak

The third species to hatch was surprisingly a Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi). After confirming that it was a female I brought the moth to a friend of mine who tried to place it into a cage for attracting males. This way we could get fresh eggs to raise a new generation, which will hatch and show the same beauty again next year.

Female Poplar Hawk-moth
Poplar Hawk-moth on its way to attracting males
Female before being placed in a cage for attracting males

Beautiful caterpillars: The Poplar Hawk-moth

Posted on by in Moths, The caterpillar quest and tagged , , , .

It is always a joy to find large and amazing caterpillars of Hawk-moths, especially if you have been searching for them. In case of the Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) it may require a bit more of searching since these “hornworms” are masters in disguise. The feeling that hits you after browsing through bushes and finally finding what you’ve been looking for: priceless.

I’ve been lucky this summer and found a couple lime-green caterpillars of the Poplar Hawk-moth. Here’s some footage. Scroll further down for tips and photos showing how to track them down.

Caterpillars of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth on aspen

How to find caterpillars

There’s a couple simple tips that may be of help to you. Assuming the time and general habitat is right start focusing on following:

  • Browse through young trees, or rather bushes, of aspen. Even though I’ve been browsing through low hanging branches of old trees I’ve mostly got lucky on narrow bushes. The height may vary between 60cm up to 2 meters. This also makes the search more comfortable, since caterpillars often feed on the height of your eyes or lower.
  • Focus on feeding traces. Caterpillars of Hawk-moths require a lot of food to grow. This results in often easily recognizable feeding traces on the plants that host a caterpillar. On aspen, the primary food plant of this species, caterpillars eat entire leafs leaving only the stalks left. Such “naked” stalks can be spotted from a good distance. Once such traces are found, focus on browsing through the branch or bush with more care.

The footage below (and above) hopefully shows what to look for. Have a good look at the following photos. You can find a caterpillar on four of them.

Habitat of Poplar Hawk-moth caterpillars
Young aspen where a caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth was found
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth hidden on a young aspen
Habitat of Poplar-Hawk moth caterpillars
Feeding traces of the Poplar Hawk-moth caterpillar
Caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth feeding on aspen
Young aspen hosting caterpillar of the Poplar Hawk-moth
Poplar Hawk-moth Caterpillar in disguise