The unexplained
Found on patio in Essex wtf is this bug?
Wtfisthis21 · 05/07/2022 16:23
...?!
Wakeywakeysleepyhead · 05/07/2022 16:26
Looks like the partial remains of an Elephant Hawk Moth, maybe?
Moonlaserbearwolf · 05/07/2022 17:04
It's an elephant hawk moth - lovely pink and green colour. I've only recently known what they are as we have quite a few in our garden.
FictionalCharacter · 05/07/2022 17:21
It’s a moth as @Wakeywakeysleepyhead and @Moonlaserbearwolf said, but why the “wtf”? Moths are very common, and harmless. You’re just seeing a dead one that’s lost part of its wings.
Hawkmoth · 05/07/2022 17:25
All the lovely pink and green has worn off. Elephant hawmoths are coloured to camouflage with Rosebay Willowherb (the caterpillars' food plant). Newly emerged moths are absolutely stunning and you are lucky to find it.
Later in the year, look out for the caterpillars getting ready to pupate. The 'elephant' part of their name is due to them looking like an elephant's trunk. But with eyes! Fascinating creatures, and their poo is the size of peppercorns!
DeepSeededUrbanDecay · 05/07/2022 17:30
Moths get the shitty end of the stick. They are as beautiful as any butterfly.
LuluBlakey1 · 05/07/2022 17:30
This- an Elephant Hawkmoth. Beautiful creatures. Why are you asking wtf as if it is something dangerous? It's a beautiful moth.
LuluBlakey1 · 05/07/2022 17:35
We had two of these the other day, Magpie moths. I had never seen them before. Beautiful.
Wtfisthis21 · 05/07/2022 20:12
Because I was panicking it was so killer hornet or wasp. No offence but its remains aren't pretty.
countrylifer · 05/07/2022 21:30
Oh so sad - it is (was) an elephant hawk moth as others have said. They're beautiful, and are the weirdest looking caterpillars. They have fake "eyes" in the design of their skin - I think to ward off predators. We've had them in the garden. Stunning.
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