Where does the hawk live. Butterfly hawk moth - "hummingbird" of the middle lane. Botanical description of the species

Sometimes in the summer on the meadow paths, or even in the city, you can meet slowly crawling large caterpillars. Someone will say “fu, what a disgusting thing!”, And someone, on the contrary, will pick it up with interest. The caterpillar, of course, does not like this, it begins to wriggle and curl up into a ring, because it has eaten for several weeks and is now looking for a secluded place to pupate. The caterpillar shown in the photo wine hawk hawk(lat. Deilephila elpenor) light brown, with a greenish tint; on the sides of the front of the body, not far from the head, it has dark spots with a white border on top and a small horn on the tail. If the caterpillar is frightened, it retracts its head, inflates segments with eye patterns, which makes them look like a snake's head with eyes, which should scare away uninvited predators. This caterpillar feeds on fireweed, better known to us as Ivan-tea, bedstraw and grape leaves (for which it got its name). After pupation, next year it will hatch from a wine hawk moth, a rather large twilight moth, which is very similar to a hummingbird in terms of flight and feeding. Even in English it is called elephant hawk moth, which can be roughly translated as "elephant moth".

Wine hawk(lat. Deilephila elpenor) - a butterfly from the family hawks (Sphingidae). Wingspan 50-70 mm. The color of the front wings and body is olive-pink with transverse oblique pink bands on the front wings. The hindwings are black at the base. Widely distributed in the Palaearctic. Flight time - from mid-May to mid-August, one, in some places - two generations. Caterpillar stage - from mid-June to August. The color of the caterpillar varies from light green to brown and almost black, on the 4th and 5th rings there are "eyes" with a dark core and a white border. The horn is short, black-brown. Forage plants of caterpillars are fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium and E. hirsutum) and fireweed (Chamerion); less often bedstraw, touchy, grapes. Pupation on soil, pupa hibernates.

Below is a photo (not mine) of what an imago (adult moth) looks like:

Photo by jean pierre Hamon, Wikipedia

The wine hawk belongs to the genus Deilephila. These are large and medium butterflies with a wingspan of 40-80 mm. The wine hawk moth is an olive butterfly with a pink pattern. The base of the hind wings is black. Wingspan 50-70 mm. The head, thorax and abdomen of a moth are olive green. Pinkish stripes on the back near the abdomen merge into one longitudinal line. Antennae thickened, grayish-pink. The eyes are large, complex, covered with scales. Insects have excellent eyesight, they see objects in low light. Insects are common in Europe, including the south of the Urals. They are found in Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, India, Korea, Japan and China. It lives in gardens, on the edge of the forest, roadsides. Settles on honeysuckle bushes, flowers of petunias, iris. Moths living in gardens and parks pollinate 5-10% of the nearest trees and shrubs.

The caterpillar of the wine hawk hawk may be green or dark brown, almost black in color. On the 4th-5th segment of the body there are round black eyes with a white border. The tail horn is short, black at the base, the tip is white. Due to the large size of 70-80 mm, the caterpillars make a frightening impression on people. In fact, they are not dangerous. Even plants, the larvae do not cause serious harm.

The caterpillar of the wine hawk moth, in case of danger, is able to inflate a segment of the body with eyes. She pulls her head inward, assumes the pose of a sphinx, lifting her front legs off the surface. It makes her look like a snake. Given the impressive size of the body, enemies such as birds prefer not to fight.

Butterfly summer time is from May to August. They are active in the evening until midnight. Moths feed on flowers and mate. Depending on the region of habitat, they give from one to five generations. For plants that open buds at close times, they are excellent pollinators. During the mating season, they often fly to light sources.

Hawk hawks are excellent flyers, during migration they cover thousands of kilometers. Butterflies are able to hover in one place, feeding on the nectar of flowers, move vertically up and down.

The fertilized female lays single or paired round eggs on the leaves and stems of fodder plants. Green masonry with a glossy surface. The embryo develops in 7-10 days. Young larvae are yellow or light green in color. As they mature, most become grey-brown with black streaks. This stage lasts about a month.

The caterpillar of the wine hawk moth can be beneficial and harmful. It depends on her diet. The larva that settled on the weeds helps to get rid of the grass without weeding. The insect does not harm agriculture. The fodder plants of hawkweed are flowers and ovary of fireweed (willow-herb), bedstraw, and touchy. In rare cases, it feeds on grape leaves.

Having reached the fifth instar, the larva descends to the ground and prepares for pupation. She chooses a place at the foot of the plant on which she ate, and forms a cocoon. The pupa is brown, 40-45 mm long. They overwinter in the litter or upper layers of the soil.

Hawk moths fly at speeds up to 50 km/h. The wind interferes with them in flight and while feeding on flowers. With a wind strength of 3 m/s, insects do not fly out to feed.

The medium wine hawk is listed in the Red Book of Karelia and the Belgorod region as a rare species.

The wine hawk moth received the Latin name Deilephila elpenor in honor of the hero of mythology: Elpenor is a friend of Odysseus, returning with him from Troy; died falling from the roof of the palace of the sorceress Circe.

There is an assumption that these spots on the caterpillars of wine hawks imitate the "glasses" of a cobra. However, it is unlikely that birds can confuse a small caterpillar with a snake, especially since wine hawks are widespread even where cobras are not found. A simple experience has shown that birds are very willing to eat ocellar caterpillars. There is no definite answer to the question about the reason for this coloration. The horn of the caterpillar of the middle wine hawk is weakly expressed.

The hawk hawk family (Sphingidae) is one of the fastest flyers not only among butterflies, but also among insects in general. Some develop speeds up to 60 km / h! Narrow and long front wings, streamlined, aerodynamic body make their flight swift and maneuverable. It was they, like some birds, who became the prototype for the creation of jet aircraft, thanks to observant designers. Hawk hawks make 37 to 85 wing beats per second, while the swallowtail, for example, makes only 5-6 beats.

The wine hawk moth can be brought out of the chrysalis at home on its own, but for this, after pupation, it must be stored in the refrigerator for some time, otherwise the adult insect will hatch somewhere around the new year, when it will have nothing to eat. Detailed information about their breeding -

Those who meet this amazing insect for the first time often confuse it with a miniature hummingbird, in fact it is an ordinary butterfly of the hawk family. But one cannot argue with the fact that there really is something similar in their appearance and habits.

The hawk hawk family has more than 1000 different species, they are mostly nocturnal creatures, but some are more active at dusk, while others are only during the day.

Moth hawks are distributed all over the world, for the most part they are large butterflies with a muscular, dense body, narrow wings and a long proboscis, thanks to which they can feast on nectar on the fly, while pollinating flowers. But there are species whose adult representatives do not feed at all. Their oral apparatus is underdeveloped, and the food that the caterpillar ate in its short life is enough for them to reproduce. The speed that these butterflies can develop reaches 50 km / h.

The most common in our latitudes is the bedstraw hawk moth, it is he who can most often be found in flower beds.

The largest representative of the family, the “dead head” hawk hawk, has a wingspan of up to 12 cm. Its distinguishing feature is a pattern on its back, somewhat reminiscent of a skull. Actually, because of him, the butterfly got such a gloomy name. But no less interesting and other species. So, for example, the wine hawk boasts a beautiful purple color, and the oleander is painted in different shades of green.

Hawk hawk caterpillars are quite large in size, usually have a bright color and a small colored spike on the back of the body, which is hidden under the skin and appears in case of danger.

It is no coincidence that hawk hawk has a second name - a hummingbird butterfly. Many species of amazing insects from the Lepidoptera family are listed in the Red Book. Photos of "northern hummingbirds" always cause admiration: these creatures are so unusual and bright.

Moth hawk moth in the garden - is it for good or for the loss of part of the crop? Not all owners know what to expect from an unusual creature. It is important to remember that the large caterpillars of an exotic butterfly are also voracious, like their smaller counterparts. But to destroy a rare species is not worth it. Find out more interesting facts about the life of unusual creatures.

general information

Hawk hawks are amazing insects: externally, adults resemble hummingbirds. Some types of nocturnal butterflies fly only during the day, others are active at night or in the morning. When an unusual creature with an original body color and wings appears in the garden or garden, many owners do not understand what kind of butterflies it is.

Characteristics:

  • the size of adult insects is up to 110 mm, the proboscis is up to 100 mm long, the wingspan is from 65 to 120 mm;
  • the flight speed is impressive - up to 50 km / h;
  • hummingbird butterflies hover over flowers, flutter, quickly flap their wings, feed on sweet nectar;
  • a full cycle of transformation is characteristic of unusual creatures. First, an egg appears, then a larva (caterpillar), then a pupa and finally an adult (butterfly). The life cycle takes from 30 to 45 days; during the summer period, two generations of amazing creatures are often replaced;
  • the emergence of adult insects begins at the end of June. Bright creations look spectacular against the backdrop of young greenery. Butterflies flutter around flowering trees and shrubs: pears, apples, chestnuts, lilacs;
  • caterpillars are large - up to 125 mm, most species have a bright color, the original pattern on the back and sides is often noticeable. Some species are painted in fantastic colors: green with a lemon tint, white with black and yellow spots on the sides, brownish gray with "painted" eyes in the front of the body. Growing individuals look like creatures from another planet;
  • a characteristic feature of the caterpillars is the “horn” at the end. The color of the formation depends on the type of butterfly, for example, in the lilac hawk moth it is black on one side and yellow on the other, in the eyed variety it is blue;
  • before pupation, the color of the growing insect changes. During this period of development, the caterpillar accumulates enough nutrients, after which it burrows into the ground. After 18 days, a beautiful butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. While the wings are drying, the insect sits still, as soon as it is possible to fly, the hummingbird butterfly goes to look for a sexual partner to maintain the population;

A few more facts:

  • a caterpillar is a creature that is soft to the touch, calm, crawling rather slowly. If you take it in your hands, then unpleasant sensations or disgust do not appear. A growing individual calmly sits in the palm of his hand, moves slowly, willingly “poses” for the camera.
  • caterpillars feed on young leaves. The wine hawk eats greens, settles on a vine. The larva is large, warlike in color, at the end there is a kind of spike. The creature is so unusual that many owners do not destroy pests, but watch them, hoping to endure an unpleasant period, later to see a beautiful hummingbird butterfly on the site;
  • hawk-tongue resembles a small bird. When a beautiful creature appears in a summer cottage, many children say that they saw an unusual bird next to flowers;
  • The "dead head" hawk moth got its name because of the characteristic pattern on the chest, similar to a skull, like an emblem on a pirate flag. The largest moth butterfly feeds on the sap of young trees and honey. The insect often climbs right into the hive, makes sounds reminiscent of a young uterus, steals honey without hindrance: the bees take it for a relative and do not touch it;
  • the bedstraw species is most often found in the middle lane. Long proboscis, dense body, color - a combination of brown and beige, orange patches are noticeable on the tips of the wings.

Unusual insects are often called sphinxes. The reason is that the disturbed caterpillar raises its front part, takes on a menacing look, freezes in the pose of a sphinx. Hence the name.

Types of hawks:

  • euphorbia;
  • wine;
  • pine;
  • hawk "dead head";
  • ocular;
  • oleander;
  • bindweed;
  • lilac;
  • hawk-proboscis and others.

On a note! About 1000 species of "northern hummingbirds" live on the planet. Some species make long-distance flights, migrate from one end of the country to the other, or travel the distance between continents.

Reasons for the appearance

Hummingbird butterflies are attracted to the garden by beautiful flowers with fragrant nectar: ​​insects feed on sweet mass. The greater the diversity of trees, shrubs, berries and vegetables in a caring owner, the higher the food supply for caterpillars and adults. The wine hawk lives in vineyards. Large butterflies often fly into the apiary.

Caterpillars eat greens. Large creatures actively gnaw the leaves of viburnum, lilac, willow, potato, dope, jasmine.

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Are hawk moths dangerous?

A large lepidopteran insect is quite rare in the garden, it does not cause much damage to the crop. More often "northern hummingbirds" live in forests, flutter next to flower beds. Insects are useful - they pollinate plants. There is no particular harm from caterpillars - they eat young leaves, the plant has time to recover.

A large number of individuals is an exceptional case, because the hawk moth belongs to the category of rare butterflies. You should not destroy insects: it is better to carefully catch an unusual creature, take it to a forest, meadow or park.

Many summer residents get lost when large caterpillars appear: “horned” creatures very rarely climb onto the site. After finding out what kind of creature it is, many gardeners regularly observe the life of an unusual creature, often making videos about large caterpillars.

Despite the formidable appearance, growing insects are quite harmless. Yes, they eat the leaves of viburnum, jasmine, potatoes, dope, but there are not so many hawks in nature, and the destruction of hummingbirds or caterpillars is the wrong thing to do.

A hawk moth in the garden is a great success for the owner. A person gets a unique opportunity to observe a rare species listed both in the Regional Red Books and in the Russian Red Book. The harm from eating young leaves is incommensurable with the positive emotions that will certainly manifest themselves in everyone who sees the miracle of nature. Insects pollinate flowers and simply decorate the world around us.

You can learn more about butterflies - moths from the following video:

: egg, larva, pupa and butterfly. Adult butterflies do not live long - only a few days, during which they need to find a mate, mate and lay eggs on a host plant. After 3-4 days, a larva emerges from the eggs - a hawk caterpillar. The task is to accumulate nutrients for further development and transition to the next stage.

Interesting!

The period of the caterpillar stage is the most important and longest in the life cycle of an insect. During the day, the hawk caterpillar freezes in one position, disguising itself as a leaf. at night, moving around the plant. For several weeks, it actively feeds and increases in size. Some species reach 10 cm in length.

Variety of hawk larvae

The hawk moth insect has a wide variety of species distributed in many regions of the mainland, including Russia. Some of them have protective properties: they emit an unpleasant odor, have a bright warning color, and a formation in the form of a pointed horn is formed at the end of the body. The most interesting and frequently encountered hawks are:

  • bedstraw;
  • medium and small wine;
  • ocular and others.

They are common in the middle zone of the country, in Western Siberia, the southern regions of the Krasnodar Territory, in the Crimea, in the Far East. From the photo of the hawk caterpillar, one can distinguish the features inherent in each type of insect.

Insects got their name thanks to the plant on which the larvae live - the bedstraw. They can also be found on fireweed and milkweed. Distributed throughout almost the entire middle zone of Eurasia and North America.

The appearance of the bedstraw hawk is quite bright. Caterpillars are covered with yellow spots with a black border. Throughout the summer, they feed on leaves, and by autumn they descend to the upper layers of the soil, where they turn into a chrysalis. Until spring, they are in this phase, and with the onset of heat, an adult butterfly appears from the ground.


One of the most beautiful species of insects prefers the more southern regions of the mainland, feeding on fireweed, bedstraw and grape leaves. The name "wine" was given to the pest because of its preference for food - grapes. The second reason is the bright pink color of the butterfly, reminiscent of the color of wine.

On a note!

The caterpillar of the wine hawk has an interesting shape and color. In times of danger, she retracts her head and inflates the chest part of the body, on the upper part of which two spots are depicted, similar to eyes. Outwardly, the larva resembles a small snake with a large head. Such an unusual appearance can mislead the natural enemies of the pest.


This representative of insect pests feeds on the foliage of poplar, aspen, bird cherry, and willow. It is distributed in the more northern regions of the mainland: Siberia, Western Europe. The color of the caterpillar is in harmony with the environment. The body has a greenish tint with oblique stripes imitating the veins of a leaf folded into a tube.

Large or medium-sized butterflies, with a powerful, often conically pointed body at the end and narrow elongated wings. Wingspan 30 - 175 mm; in most species 80 - 100 mm. The antennae are long, fusiform, usually with a pointed and hook-shaped apex. The eyes are round, naked, often covered from above with a tuft of elongated scales. The proboscis is usually very long, exceeding the length of the body several times, rarely short, sometimes reduced.

The labial palps are well developed, curved upwards, densely covered with scales on the outer side, usually without scaly cover on the inner side. The tarsi bear several rows of short strong spines. The abdomen is covered with adjacent scales, collected at the end in the form of a brush or a wide brush. Forewings more than twice as long as wide, with pointed apex. Their outer margin is even or carved, with deep notches between the veins, strongly oblique towards the posterior margin, sometimes rounded. The hindwings are usually 1.5 times as long as wide, distinctly oblique towards the posterior margin, with a shallow notch along the outer margin in front of the anal angle. The hold is usually well developed, sometimes rudimentary.

Twilight and nocturnal butterflies, but some species - tongue-tailed hawks (Macroglossum stellatarum) and bumblebees (Hemaris) fly only during the day. Sphecodina caudate or small grape hawk hawk (Sphecodina caudata) is active in the morning hours. In the temperate zone, most species give 1 generation per year, less often - 2 generations.

Caterpillars are quite large, with five pairs of legs. The coloration is quite bright, with oblique stripes and spots in the form of eyes. Caterpillars develop mainly on trees and shrubs, much less often on herbaceous plants, they are distinguished by narrow food selectivity and are most often able to feed on only one or several closely related plant species; polyphagous species among hawks are rare. Some species are known as minor pests of agriculture and forestry. In forests, various coniferous and broad-leaved species are slightly damaged, in gardens - fruit and stone fruit crops. At the rear end of the body of the caterpillar there is almost always a characteristic dense growth - the "horn". Caterpillars are active at dusk and at night.

The pupa is distinguished by the fact that at the posterior end it has an elevation in the form of a horn, which only a few species lack.

area

All species of the family are heat-loving insects, but many species are active migrants and fly into territories that lie much to the north of their breeding grounds. They are able to fly over the seas and mountain ranges (over 3500 m above sea level).

Types of hawks:

  • euphorbia;
  • wine;
  • pine;
  • hawk "dead head";
  • ocular;
  • oleander;
  • bindweed;
  • lilac;
  • hawk-proboscis and others.

About 1000 species of "northern hummingbirds" live on the planet. Some species make long-distance flights, migrate from one end of the country to the other, or travel the distance between continents.

Euphorbia hawk

Botanical description of the species

Euphorbia hawk moth (Hyleseuphorbiae) is an insect of the Lepidoptera order, hawk hawk family. Large butterfly with a wingspan of 65-80 mm. The upper body is olive green or brown. The forewings are gray or olive with light and brown stripes, spots and bands. Two white stripes run along the base of the wings of the milkweed hawk, which converge on the head. The hind wings are pink with a black spot at the base and a black border near the outer edge. The lower part of the body and wings are pink.

The abdomen consists of 10 segments, spiracles are located on the sides up to the 7th segment. The annular parts are separated by light stripes; there are black spots on the anterior segments. On the front legs are spurs, which the butterfly uses to care for the antennae. The abdomen has the shape of a cylinder with a pointed end. It consists of annular segments with spiracles. The eyes are convex, round, facet type. Butterflies are able to distinguish colors and objects in minimal light.

The oral apparatus of the sucking type is represented by a long proboscis. Most of the time, the proboscis is twisted into a spiral, flying up to the flower, the moth straightens it and lowers it between the petals. Butterflies are active at night. They spend the day sitting on trees or bushes, covering themselves with wings. Moths are attracted to electric light and flock to artificial light sources in large numbers.

Distribution area

The butterfly lives in Southern and Central Europe, the Middle East and Asia Minor. In Russia, it is common in all South European regions, noted in the Urals, the Caucasus, and southern Siberia. Migrating moths are seen in Karelia, Tomsk and Tyumen regions. The wide distribution of the species is due to less sensitivity to cold. Butterflies settle where spurge grows - on slopes, forest edges, along field roads.

Euphorbia hawk hawk is included in the Red Book of the Tyumen region as a rare species. As protective measures, it is recommended to preserve areas where fodder plants grow: spurge, tarragon, wormwood-tarragon.

Description of the larva

The caterpillar of the milkweed hawk may have a different basic color - green, yellow, red-brown, black. In green individuals, the pattern consists of black and yellow spots, as well as white dots. On the sides of the larva, 11 white spots are visible, which fall on each segment of the body. The caterpillar has underdeveloped coral-colored ventral legs, a red head and a longitudinal stripe along the back. The horn is red at the base and black at the end. The bright coloring serves as a warning to birds. Larvae that eat poisonous spurge become poisonous themselves.

Nutrition Features

The hawk moth got its name because of the food plant of the larvae - milkweed. There are about 200 species of this plant, most of which are malicious weeds. Euphorbia is drought tolerant, multiplies rapidly and grows vigorously. Getting rid of the weed is quite difficult, so the euphorbia hawk eating leaves and flowers is considered a useful phytophage. In addition to various types of the main fodder plant, caterpillars can feed on knotweed or knotweed, grapes, and fuchsia.

reproduction

Lepidoptera insects are characterized by complete metamorphosis.

Their life cycle includes several successive stages:

  • egg;
  • larva;
  • chrysalis;
  • imago.

Butterfly years are celebrated in May-June, the second time - in September. Females and males mate at dusk. Fertilized females lay on milkweed. Eggs are light green and round. They are coated with a sticky substance that helps stick to the leaves and stems of the plant. The embryo develops for about two weeks. Hatched caterpillars are small, uniform in color - green or yellow.

Young larvae eat a lot, they need to accumulate a large amount of nutrients before pupation begins. Caterpillars go through stage 5 of growing up. After each, they increase in size and change color. The shed skin is eaten by the larvae, it is a complete source of protein. The second generation, which appeared in August, is distinguished by a huge number of larvae in favorable years. Crowding of caterpillars occurs on fodder plants.

Before pupation, the caterpillar slides to the ground, it hides under a layer of grass or digs 5-7 cm into the soil. A spider cocoon is built there. The pupa is light brown. At this stage, insects arrive from three weeks to a year.

Not only pupae of the second generation, but also partially of the first, leave for wintering. Young hawks are born at night. Butterflies crawl onto branches, where they spread their wings for 15-30 minutes.

Wine hawk

area

Widely distributed in the Palearctic, from Europe incl. Middle and Southern Urals, through the north of Turkey, Northern Iran, Afghanistan, the east of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the south of Siberia to Central Yakutia, Amur region, Primorye, Sakhalin, South Kuriles; found in northern India, Nepal, northern Indochina, China, Korea and Japan.

Name

This hawk moth is named by scientists in honor of the mythical hero, friend of Odysseus - Elpenor. The scientific name of this elegant butterfly is tricky - Deilefila elpenor. The fate of the Odysseus comrade is sad: returning with the soldiers from Troy, he died absurdly, falling from the roof of the palace of the sorceress Circe. Perhaps it was the blood of the Greek youth that colored the wings of this glorious butterfly?
But why is he wine? Most specialists tend to consider the origin of the Russian name for this hawk hawk from two points of view. Firstly, grapes are the food plant for caterpillars of the wine hawk moth. True, only in the southern regions. In the more northern ones, where grapes do not grow, caterpillars are quite satisfied with the leaves of the bedstraw, loosestrife, willow-herb (fireweed). So, because of the addiction to grapes, this hawk would get its name. The second version believes that this butterfly really seemed to have bathed in a glass of red wine. Too bright lilac-lilac-pink shades stand out in its color.
Varieties

The wine hawk also has a younger brother. That's what it's called - a small wine hawker. Butterflies are very similar in color, but the small one flaunts even more pink "clothes", for which, apparently, it received its funny Latin name - porcellus - "pig".

reproduction

If the summer is favorable, then the hawk-moth gives two generations. The first caterpillars appear by the end of June, and the second - in August. The caterpillar of the wine hawk is very interesting. On the fourth and fifth segments of her body there are two large reddish-purple spots. They seem to imitate the "glasses" of the well-known cobra. And the caterpillar itself looks like a small, but ugly snake. This similarity is further enhanced by the fact that the first three segments, together with the head, are small in size, and are easily drawn into the large fourth and fifth in case of danger. The result is a "swollen" head with intimidating eyes. In addition, a small but strong brown horn flaunts at the end of the caterpillar's body. With such an unusual appearance, plus the fact that a disturbed caterpillar is able to make sharp movements from side to side, the insect saves itself from predators.

Peculiarities

The wingspan of the largest individuals is 60-70 mm (the small wine hawk moth is noticeably smaller). Adult butterflies (imagoes) feed on the nectar of many of our flowers. On windless summer nights, you can watch how from the depths of the garden these beauties occasionally fly into the light of a lantern on the veranda, so that, knocking on the lamp, they again rush off to fragrant roses and levkoy.

Pine hawk

Appearance

The wingspan of the butterfly is 6.5 - 8 cm, the front ones are mouse-gray with a curved line at the top and three black dashes in the center. Hindwings brownish gray, without pattern. Abdomen with transverse black and light gray stripes, and a longitudinal gray stripe divided in two by a thin black line. One generation per year. Flight period: from the first half of June to the end of July, depending on the weather and climatic conditions of the area. Butterflies are active in the evening twilight, flying into the light of street lamps. During the day they sit motionless on the trunks of coniferous trees.

Development

The female lays her eggs on the underside of the host plant leaf. Pupation occurs in soil, at a depth of 5 cm or in moss. An adult caterpillar is 6.5–8 cm long. The color of the body is variable, from green, with white intermittent stripes on the sides and a wide reddish-brown dorsal stripe, to dirty brown with weakly expressed longitudinal stripes. There is a black-brown horn at the posterior end of the body. The caterpillars eat the needles.

Butterfly hawk dead head

Butterfly hawk moth dead head, which in some countries is called the Adam's head, for a long time among many peoples of Europe was considered a harbinger of death. The dead head hawk hawk is distributed from southern Africa to the Shetland Islands, in the west it reaches the Azores, in the east - Northern Iran.

Life cycle

The dead head butterfly mates in spring. The female lays green, oval eggs on top of a leaf of potatoes and other nightshades. Caterpillars found in Europe are bright yellow or green with prominent purple diagonal stripes on both sides of the body. The caterpillar's defenses include not only an amazing chatter, but also the release of a very toxic substance. The caterpillar has a sharp outgrowth on its abdomen to scare away hungry birds.

The caterpillars are very voracious, so they soon reach a considerable length. Having reached the required size, the caterpillar burrows into the ground, where it forms a cocoon. The pupa of the dead head hibernates, and in the spring a butterfly emerges from it. Individuals heading south soon prepare for a long flight. The dead head hawk moth is a heat-loving species, therefore it prefers valleys at a low altitude above sea level and warm places in the mountains of medium height.

Lifestyle

The dead head hawk leaves the African continent every year and flies north or east to reach Central Europe. These butterflies have narrow wings reinforced with thick veins, so they fly beautifully.

It is interesting that both the butterfly, and the caterpillar, and the chrysalis can make well-audible sounds. During games, children often throw caterpillars of a dead head, which at the same time issue a warning “howl” with their mouthparts. Even hawk pupae can creak. The squeak of adult butterflies is well heard, with the help of which they try to repel any attack. The squeak is due to the expulsion of air from the esophagus. This property and the image of the skull on the cephalothorax of the butterfly became the basis for the emergence of all kinds of prejudices.

What does it eat?

Caterpillars of the dead head butterfly, in addition to potato leaves, also eat leaves of tomatoes, jasmine, snowberry, beets and cotton. Butterflies are active mainly at night. With their short but extremely strong proboscis, they pierce the skin of ripe fruits and drink their juice. In addition, they feed on flower nectar and honeydew, but most of all they love bee honey. The dead head butterfly often makes its way into the hives, where it diligently examines the honeycombs and sucks the honey out of them.

Interestingly, bees do not usually attack butterflies. The attack occurs only in individual cases, and as a result of it, the hawk moth dies. After a lethal dose of bee venom, a new stage of his life fanned by mysticism begins. After killing the dead head butterfly, the bees cover it with a layer of wax and leave it in such a mummified form in the hive.

Dead head sightings

The dead head hawk usually lands on plants that bloom at night, such as jasmine, tobacco, fuchsia, adonis, and various types of orchids. Pollination of these plants depends on moths, because other insect species cannot reach the pistil and stamens deeply hidden inside the flower. The dead head hawk caterpillar can be found in a potato field. Sometimes an adult butterfly appears at night near a light source. Big and strong, flying into the room, she can scare a person with her size and swiftness alone, not to mention the fact that her wings emit a quiet buzz. When potatoes were harvested by hand, pupae of this hawk hawk were often found in the ground.

As a result of the use of pesticides in potato fields, a significant number of hawk caterpillars are destroyed, and its pupae die from the mechanized harvesting of potatoes.

hawk moth

Description

The ocellated hawk belongs to the Moth family from the Lepidoptera order. This is a brownish-gray butterfly, in which only the hind short wings are distinguished by bright colors. On a pinkish-red background is the famous spot in the form of an eye.

The body length of a butterfly is slightly more than four centimeters, while its wingspan can reach 95 millimeters.

Behavior

In a calm state, hawk hawk easily mimics, merging with the color of the environment: tree bark, dry sticks, stones.

It is interesting that the adult insect hawk hawk does not feed at all, it lacks those reserves that its body has accumulated while still in the form of a caterpillar larva.

Another curious fact is the flight speed of hawk hawk, up to 50 kilometers per hour and its ability to fly long distances. They say that the observers traced the path of the insect from the Stavropol foothills of the Caucasus to the Moscow region. So, in this experiment, the flight of a butterfly for more than a thousand kilometers lasted a little more than seven hours.

Many observers and researchers call hawks northern hummingbirds for the manner of flight and the ability of some species to feed through the proboscis.

In the daytime, these butterflies practically do not fly, but hide in the shade of trees or shrubs, activity begins with the advent of twilight, therefore, its coloring matches all night moths.

Spreading

The hawk hawk inhabits almost the entire territory of Europe, with the exception of the regions of the Far North. It is found in Asia Minor, and in Kazakhstan, and in Western Siberia. As for the zonality of settlement, this butterfly prefers to settle in bright gardens and copses, on the edges of the forest and in flood meadows - where there is always a lot of light and foliage.

Despite its wide distribution, the number of hawk hawk in nature is small. And in the Smolensk region, the insect is completely listed in the Red Book.

Reproduction and development

The ocellated hawk hibernates in the pupal stage on the branches of trees and shrubs or under them in the foliage. With the May warm rays of the sun, the pupation stage ends and the year of butterflies begins, which passes with changes until the end of July. In some warm years, the third generation is also formed, which can develop from August to October. At the same time, adult insects of different generations of the season can exist.

Hawk hawks are insects with a complete transformation cycle: egg - larva - pupa - adult.

The search for a sexual partner is most often carried out by males, looking for a female by the special smell of her pheromones. Mating lasts from thirty minutes to two hours. In this case, the insects are practically in a motionless pose.

The female lays testicles, which are quite large for insects, on the leaves of those plants that the larvae will feed on in the next stage. In oviposition, their number is small - 5-10 pieces, but there may be several clutches in different parts of a tree or shrub. Milky-colored eggs incubate quickly, within 3-5 days, depending on the ambient temperature. Soon green caterpillars with white stripes and brown specks appear.

The following deciduous trees are used as fodder objects:

  • Linden;
  • maple;
  • Birch;
  • aspen;
  • bird cherry;
  • pear;
  • Apple tree;
  • plum;
  • turn;
  • lilac;
  • poplar;
  • different types of willow: willows, weeping, willows;
  • alder.

Despite the voracity of the caterpillars, hawk hawks do not cause much harm to garden and forest plantations, due to their small number, and also because they feed mainly on the smallest young leaves.

After fattening and reaching the maximum size, about 80 millimeters, the larvae pupate. At the same time, caterpillars crawl into crevices and cracks on tree trunks, or, if the insect lives in meadows, into small minks and cracks in the soil. If the insect generation is early, then this stage lasts about three weeks; in the case of a late season, the pupa leaves before winter.

The caterpillar stage of the hawk hawk is the longest. It can last up to one and a half months.

Almost immediately after the last modification - the transformation of the pupa into a butterfly - the hawks begin to fly on their own and go in search of a sexual partner. So that the life cycle repeats itself over and over again.

Oleander hawk

Description

Very large night moth. The length of the forewing is 45–52 mm, the wingspan is 90–125 mm. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed. Forewings with a characteristic "marble" pattern of gradient spots and bands of various shades of green, pink, lilac, gray, white. The hindwings are pinkish-gray, with a thin wavy white band and a greyish-green outer field.

Head, thorax, abdomen greyish-green, tegulae deep green. Antennae whitish. The caterpillar is very large (up to 11 cm long), bright green (the dorsal side is yellowish-whitish), with a yellowish short (caudally rounded) horn and dark red chest legs. On the sides from the horn to the second abdominal segment there is a wide bluish-white stripe, contrasting dorsally and blurred ventrally.

Above and below it are large pearly white dots, forming dorsal semirings on segments 2–5. On the sides of the third thoracic segment there are blue eye spots centered in white and bordered in blackish red. Pupa up to 65 mm long, reddish-brown, translucent in the thoracic region. Spiracles, cremaster and double median line between wing primordia blackish. There are numerous small blackish dots on the abdominal segments.

Spreading

The global range is multiregional, covering Africa, Western India, Sri Lanka, the Mediterranean region of the Palearctic. Widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical zones of the Old World, an active migrant. Known from France, Romania, Moldova, Crimea. Butterflies flew to Finland and Siberia.

In RO met regularly in the 19th century. In the Caucasus, there are references from Dagestan, Abkhazia, Adzharia. The territory of the Krasnodar Territory belongs to the reproductive section of the global range. The regional population is regularly replenished by migrants. Geographically, it is confined to the coastal regions of Greater Sochi; modern finds from the northern macroslope are unknown.

Features of biology and ecology

Polyphage, polyvoltine migrant. In the region, it is found only in the urbanized landscapes of the Black Sea coast. At the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. regularly appeared in Ciscaucasia and on the Lower Don, where they left offspring on oleander bushes exposed for the summer. Caterpillars are able to develop on periwinkle, oleander, occasionally - on grapes, lastovna, mock orange, privet.

In Abkhazia, the first flying butterflies appear at the end of May. Until December, 3-4 generations have time to develop. In Sochi, hawk hawk is associated with planting oleander on busy city streets, in parks, squares, alleys, gardens of rest houses, and sanatoriums. Caterpillars feed around the clock, preferring the foliage and flowers of the upper young shoots. Caterpillars of 2–3 generations can be traced in the region; they are most numerous in August.

In the first instars, disturbed larvae freeze, stretching their head and legs forward, probably imitating the lanceolate oleander leaf. They pupate in leaf litter under bushes of host plants. In the laboratory, the caterpillars, using rare (and fragile) brownish silk fibers, formed cradles in the humus near the soil surface. A slight deepening of pupae is one of the reasons for their high mortality, both from low temperatures and from destruction by predators.

Thus, blackbirds easily detect and peck at the pupae of the oleander hawk moth. The high density of this bird species during wintering in Sochi leads to mass death of pupae even in mild winters. Under laboratory conditions close to natural, the development of pupae of the second generation (August) occurs in 15–17 days. Flight was not recorded by us, however, judging by the timing of the development of caterpillars, its peak in Sochi should fall in mid-August - the first ten days of September. Meetings of butterflies at the end of August are known for the Crimea. The development of larvae of the next generations is hindered by cold weather.

Bindweed hawk

Description

The second largest hawk hawk in Europe: 90–120 mm in wingspan. Forewings with blurry broken bandages trimmed with a white outline over a common white background, hindwings with three wavy black stripes. Fringed wings of alternating white and dark fields. The proboscis is very long - in the unfolded position it exceeds the length of the body twice.

habitats

It prefers open spaces and is "tied" to the places where the host plant grows, however, butterflies can migrate over long distances - hundreds of kilometers.

Lifestyle

During the year it gives two generations. After wintering, butterflies emerge from pupae in early to mid-June, and adults of the second generation in late August to mid-September. Active at dusk. It lives wherever there are suitable flowers. The fodder plant of caterpillars is bindweed. Butterflies feed on the pollen of garden plants, especially tobacco. Butterfly years in May-November.

reproduction

Caterpillar. Length - 100-130 mm, green or brownish.

Pupa. In severe snowless winters, pupae of the second generation die, and the number is restored due to migrants from the Caucasus, Crimea, and Central Asia.

Limiting factors and status

The species is listed in the Red Book of the Saratov region. Protection status: 3 - a rare species. Butterflies of the first generation are noted by single finds, and in some years the number of butterflies of the second generation increases. The existence of the species is affected by weather conditions: severe frosts lead to freezing of the soil layer to a depth of 10–15 cm, which causes the death of pupae.

Lilac hawk moth

Appearance

The lilac hawk moth is a very large butterfly, the size of which varies between 45-55 mm. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. The habitat of the Lilac Hawk Moth is all of Europe up to 62 ° north latitude.

Many people call the Lilac hawk butterfly a bird - a hummingbird because of its size and long proboscis, with which the hawk moth sucks juice from plants. The head and abdomen of a butterfly are gray-green in color. The mustache is white. The hind wings are pink with a white band.

A distinctive feature of the Lilac hawk moth is a characteristic "marble" pattern on the front wings. The color of the pattern of the front wings may be different. Wingspan - from 90 and up to 120 mm. Unlike most, the Lilac hawk stretches its wings along the body during the rest period.

The caterpillar is especially large in size. Can reach 11 cm in length. A characteristic feature of the Lilac hawk caterpillar is a dense outgrowth in the form of a horn on the back of the body. For the development and nutrition of the hawk caterpillar, lilacs, viburnum, meadowsweet, ash, currants and grapes are chosen. Rarely other plants.

Lilac hawk-moth lays its eggs on the underside of leaves, in the area of ​​veins. The time of development of larvae is July-September months. Butterfly gives one generation. The pupae of the Lilac hawk hawk hibernate in the soil. They are buried in the soil by about 20-50 cm.

Spreading

The global range of Lilac hawk hawk is multi-regional, covering almost all of eastern, northern, southern and western (with the exception of some regions of Great Britain) Europe.

As for the regions of Russia, Lilac hawk hawk is observed in the Kaliningrad, Middle Urals, West Caucasus, Lower Volga, Middle Amur, Kuril, Primorsky and many other regions. At the same time, the regional population is constantly growing due to migrants.

fodder plants

Kalina, lilac, privet, meadowsweet, grapes, currants and others. As a result, plants lose their decorative effect, growth slows down, flowering becomes scarce with large-scale damage.

Hawk hawk or common tongue

Description

The hawk-proboscis, or common tongue, is distinguished by gray front wings, on which a transverse pattern is inscribed, while the rear ones are decorated with a dark border on an orange background. In a span, the wings of a butterfly open up to 50 mm, and their flapping is so swift that it is almost impossible to see them. The insect is of medium size. Its abdomen is adorned with a tassel of hairs, and it looks a bit like a bird's tail. That is why hawk moth (common tongue) is associated with hummingbirds by many. Butterfly caterpillars are green to dark brown in color, however, before turning into a mature individual, the pupa turns red.

reproduction

The insect produces offspring twice during the summer. Caterpillars of the first generation, preferring the flooded places of the forest edges, appear in thickets of bedstraw and chickweed. As a rule, this happens in the period of early autumn (September, beginning of October). The appearance of the second generation occurs in the summer (June, August).

Lifestyle and distribution

Common tongue is a heat-loving insect. It appears at the beginning of summer. Insects arrive from the south, but representatives of the second generation with autumn colds fly to regions with warm climatic conditions.

Insects are distributed throughout Europe, in North Africa and India, in Central Asia, and in the Far East. In Russia, populations have been noted in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, in the south of the Urals and Siberia. Some individuals fly to Yakutsk and Syktyvkar. The proboscis prefers sunny edges, gardens, and can fly into city parks.

Are hawk moths dangerous?

A large lepidopteran insect is quite rare in the garden, it does not cause much damage to the crop. More often "northern hummingbirds" live in forests, flutter next to flower beds. Insects are useful - they pollinate plants. There is no particular harm from caterpillars - they eat young leaves, the plant has time to recover. A large number of individuals is an exceptional case, because the hawk moth belongs to the category of rare butterflies. You should not destroy insects: it is better to carefully catch an unusual creature, take it to a forest, meadow or park. Many summer residents get lost when large caterpillars appear: “horned” creatures very rarely climb onto the site.

Despite the formidable appearance, growing insects are quite harmless. Yes, they eat the leaves of viburnum, jasmine, potatoes, dope, but there are not so many hawks in nature, and the destruction of hummingbirds or caterpillars is the wrong thing to do. A hawk moth in the garden is a great success for the owner. A person gets a unique opportunity to observe a rare species listed both in the Regional Red Books and in the Russian Red Book. The harm from eating young leaves is incommensurable with the positive emotions that will certainly manifest themselves in everyone who sees the miracle of nature. Insects pollinate flowers and simply decorate the world around us.

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