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Wow! Nice pic! Did you catch this moth, or is it a frequent visitor on your property?
It is a
Tersa sphinx moth (Xylophanes tersa)
Family: Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths (Sphingidae)
Subfamily: Macroglossinae (Macroglossinae)
Identification: Forewing upperside is pale brown with lavender-gray at the base and dark brown lengthwise lines throughout. Hindwing upperside is dark brown with a band of whitish wedge-shaped marks.
Life history: Adults begin feeding at sunset.
Flight: . One brood in the north from May-October, several broods in Florida and Louisiana from February-November.
Wing span: 2 3/8 - 3 1/8 inches (6 - 8 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Smooth buttonplant (Spermacoce glabra), starclusters (Pentas species), Borreria, Catalpa, and Manettia species.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers including honeysuckle (Lonicera).
For more infor on this brood click the following link, it's a great web site for looking up butterflies and moths:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3472
Thanks for sharing that wonderful photo! I love botony, birds, butterflies and insects that aren't too gross. :fadein:
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