#white-lined sphinx

[iridescent-wildlife]

White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata). Family Sphingidae, order Lepidoptera.

Oklahoma, USA. April 2022.

[lilybug-02]

Is this a hawkmoth? I got a photo of this guy last year at a grocery store and I still don’t know what it is! I love him and I would love to hear an infodump about him if you know anything

White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) also known as a Hummingbird or Hawk Moth ❤️

This species of moth live all throughout North America and have a flight pattern similar to Hummingbirds! This involves hovering in place and flying in jerky movements. They are active in both the day and night.

This species conservation status is SECURE. 🌸 🎉

More pictures! Caterpillars vary in many different shades of green. They also have little horns on their backsides.

[bleachgirl]

[lesterpubliclibrary]

White-lined Sphinx by Lester Public Library Via Flickr: By the Book Drops at the Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

White-Lined Sphinx

Hyles lineata

The white-lined sphinx is a part of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their size and how they hover over flowers for nectar. The were first described in 1775 by Johan Christian Fabricius as Sphinx lineata.

Description The forewings are dark brown with tan stripe cutting across mirrors on both sides. The veins of the forewings are lined in white. The top edge of the forewing or the “costal margin” is outlined in a light brown and the forewing’s side edge or the “outer margin” is lined in gray. The hindwings are black with a pink stripe called the “median band.” The furry body is also dark and light brown with black, pink, and white stripes and spots.

Wingspan Range: ≈5.1 - 7.6 cm (2 -3 in)

Diet and Habitat Caterpillars of this species eat a variety of plants such as: Willow weed (Epilobium), Four o'clock (Mirabilis), Apple (Malus), Evening primrose (Oenothera), Elm (Ulmus), Grape (Vitis), and more. Caterpillars can form large groups when finding food and damage many gardens and crops.

Adult moths drink the nectar from various flowers such as: Columbines, Larkspurs, Four o'clock (Mirabilis), Petunia, Honeysuckle, Moonvine, and more. The type of flower an adult feeds from depends on the visibility during certain times of the day. At night they will feed from white flowers because they are easier to see in the dark. Durning the day, they will feed on brighter flowers.

This moth has a large range spanning from Southern Canada down to Central America, going through Mexico and most of the United States. They are found occasionally in the West Indies and on even rarer occasions in Eurasia and Africa. They live in habitats such as deserts, gardens, suburbs, and the Mountains of Colorado. However their population varies in many places.

Mating This moth has two generations per year with more in warmer climates. Eggs are laid in the spring on the host plants. A female can lay hundreds of eggs, which overwinter as larvae and emerge in February to November. This is also when they begin eating.

Predators This moth prefers to fly at night but can be seen during the day. It is preyed on by common enemies of moths: birds and bats.

Fun Fact Caterpillars were, and still are in some places, eaten by Native Americans. They were skewered, roasted, and dried to store/ground. When compared to hamburger meat, the larvae have almost as much fat but 1/3 less saturated fat and more energy in calories, protein, carbohydrate, riboflavin, and niacin.

(Source: Wikipedia, Moth Identification)

[onenicebugperday]

I found this beautiful baby sleeping in a petunia basket at work! I had to move them because I was going to water them and didn't want them to get trampled by customers if they fell off. I believe it's a sphinx moth of some sort? I'm unsure, but I'm in Boise, Idaho if that helps you.

Yes, it’s a white-lined sphinx! Beautiful pics of this pal. Look how dang fuzzy!!!

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Somebody’s getting really big!

(white-lined sphinx, Hyles lineata)

[that-crazy-scorpio-man]

Okay, I took this video back in 2013.  I saw a hummingbird at school but soon realized that it was a moth.  Didn’t have a camcorder but I luckily had a point-and-shoot camera on me.

I’m sorry for the shakiness.  I was trying to keep up with it and point-and-shoots really don’t have the stabilizer for videos.  That and I was trying to keep up with it.  Look how the video slows down its wing movements.  They were a blur in reality.

Update (April 27, 2018):  I have ID’ed it.  It’s a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata).