Garden cameo! 🐛 This vibrant visitor is a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) in the making. Before they transform, these caterpillars can grow up to 3 inches long and come in a surprising variety of colors—green, brown, even black! Love bugs? Great news! We’re seeking volunteers for our insectary. In addition to feeding and caring for the insectary’s current caterpillar residents, you’ll help search our gardens for new ones! To get started, complete a volunteer application: wildflower.org/

Is it a hummingbird? No, it’s a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)! These moths hover in front of flowers and drink nectar through their proboscis, a tube that extends from the front of their heads. Sphinx moths look, move, and eat like hummingbirds, but they are not closely related. Hummingbirds and sphinx moths–creatures from two different branches on the tree of life–have evolved similar traits to fill similar ecological niches. This phenomenon of two unrelated species forming similar ad

This year's northern apple sphinx, Sphinx poecila, have been unusually heavily parasitized. About four out of five caterpillars collected have produced parasitoid Braconid wasp larvae like these, and many of these same caterpillars have also produced various Tachind fly larvae. Multiparasitism - flies and wasps sharing a single host! As far as we can tell, these are native parasitoids. The Braconid wasp larvae seen here may even be specialist feeders on just a few closely realted Sphinx! Moments

Hyles euphorbiae, the spurge hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. Great Tit bird tweeting in the background, slowed down to reveal how it sounds like a completely different animal. Photographed in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. September 2024. | MacroLab3D

Forest Friend; Meet the White-lined Sphinx moth caterpillar (Hyles lineata) can be found from mid-Spring through early Fall in open areas throughout North America, from Canada to Central America and the West Indies. They were named "sphinx" for their alarm posture. They will rear their head up when alarmed and have the appearance of an Egyptian Sphinx. Video shared by Kristina S | Niabi Zoo