Bedstraw Hawkmoth

Fascinating facts about the Bedstraw Hawkmoth

• The bedstraw hawk-moth occupies a broad swathe of the Northern Hemisphere, being recorded in North America, throughout Europe as far north as the Arctic Circle, across Central Asia and in Japan. It is not confined to a single landscape type; it thrives in sandy or calcareous soils, sunny heaths, plantations and warm forest edges where its food plants grow.
• The larva of the bedstraw hawk-moth is a smooth caterpillar that is bluish-green on its dorsal side, often turning pinkish underneath, and it may also appear brown or black depending on its colour phase. A distinctive pale, almost yellow, line runs centrally along its back, accompanied by a row of ten conspicuous eye-like yellow spots on each side, giving it a striking appearance.
• After feeding intensively in August and September, the caterpillar spins a brown chrysalis that it buries in the sand, where it remains hidden during metamorphosis. This sand-bound pupal stage provides protection while the transformation to adult occurs. The adult moth emerges around midsummer, timing its appearance to coincide with the peak flowering of its nectar sources.
• In the Alps the bedstraw hawk-moth is found as high as 2700 m above sea level. Even at this height it sticks to sunny, calcareous spots where its food plants grow. The species favours sandy or calcareous soils, sunny heaths, plantations and warm forest edges, seeking out the same host plants that occur in lower habitats.
• Adult bedstraw hawk-moths are on the wing from May through October, normally producing a single brood. In especially favourable years a second brood may appear. They are most often seen at dusk feeding on flowers, but remain active throughout the night until daylight returns.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Bedstraw Hawkmoth

As the sun dips below the horizon, the Bedstraw Hawkmoth stirs, its delicate wings unfolding like silken sails as it embarks on a nocturnal journey through the fragrant landscape of heathlands and meadows. With a gentle, loping flight, it navigates the shadows, its feathery antennae twitching as it seeks out the sweet nectar of its favorite flowers, the bedstraws and honeysuckles that give it its name. In the soft, moonlit glow, this moth's subtle beauty is revealed, its mottled browns and creams blending seamlessly into the surroundings, a master of understated elegance in the secret world of night-flying creatures.

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