Know your camera, and reap the rewards.
If you compare the first 2 pictures here, the upper pic is by Lucas Velthuis who knows his Canon camera inside out. In the first pic, you can even see the tiny horn-like projection on its leg as well as the various colours on its legs and feelers.
The 2nd is by me, who sets her Samsung on automatic.
There are about 100 N.American species of sphinx moths, and the closest we can come to identifying this one is to guess 'Walnut Sphinx'.
Lots of the spinx moths are named after the tree that its larvae feed upon: walnut, pawpaw, catalpa, great ash, apple, laurel (which feeds on lilac bushes, too), wild cherry, big poplar, sequoia, huckleberry. So many, and more!
If the caterpillar you find has a 'horn' at the rear of its body, like the Tomato Hornworm below, then you have found a sphinx moth 'larvae' - caterpillar.
Moth velcro: Moths have a 'frenulum', a curved spine or group of bristles on the inner angle of the hindwing which helps to hold the fore and hindwings together in flight.
So lovely, so graceful and fascinating to watch.
1 comment:
Good afternoon Karen, I hope you don't mind that I have check out your blog a bit. I entered in a google search "cycling across canada 2008" on google and you came up first. I'm not an eblogger so I didn't know how else to contact you so I'm commenting on your Giant Sphinx Moth entry... nice shots by the way. I'm interested in hearing about your cycling trip for next year. I have been planning such a trip since high school and I was interested in finding out how you are planning your trip, whether you are looking for companions etc. I am a 21 year old recent BA grad, looking to cross the country next spring/summer. Please contact me at ldeacon05@hotmail.com if you have a moment to spare. Cheers, Lisa
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