Wednesday 3 September 2008

Convulvulous Hawk Moth

I returned recently from a holiday in Ireland to find a dead convulvulous hawk moth Agrius convolvuli on the steps in our garden. I have only previously seen one of these large hawk moths before and that was at our old house and was hidden in a pile of watching left on a chair. The body of this specimen measured 5 cm.

The convolvulous hawk-moth is a migrant species which may originate from Mediterranean region of Europe or even north Africa if the weather conditions are suitable. August and September seem to be the most likely months to see this spectacular moth.