Death’s head Hawk-moth November
First of all my apologies for not posting anything on moths for the last couple of months. I have been busy completing a new publication on dragonflies (due out early next year) and a backlog of articles for various publications. There has been some reports of migrants in recent weeks. Late summer and autumn are always a productive time for them to appear. One species that stands out from the rest of the migrants is the Death’s head Hawk-moth Acherontia atropos. My first encounter with this moth was 20 years ago when one turned up on a window ledge not far from where I lived. I have seen them a few times since and even reared the caterpillars. This is a very large moth, which can have a wingspan up to 12 or 13 cm. It also squeaks when touched – this is supposed to have a calming effect on the bees when it raids their hives in search of honey. The larva is also large and highly photogenic.
Death’s-head hawk-moth Acherontia atropos
Nikon D3, 200mm macro lens, fill-flash, ISO 200, tripod.
Death’s-head Hawk-moth Acheronita atropos larva.