Elephant hawk moth

The large caterpillars of this attractive moth are often found in gardens in summer.

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Elephant hawk moth caterpillar
Elephant hawk moth caterpillar

Quick facts

Common name: Elephant hawk moth
Scientific name: Deilephila elpenor
Plants affected: Often found in gardens on Fuchsia
Main symptoms: Large (85mm long) brown or green caterpillars
Most active: Late summer to autumn

What is elephant hawk moth?

The elephant hawk moth is a large pink and olive green moth but it is the larvae that are often found in gardens especially on fuchsia. The caterpillars are usually brown and reach 8cm in length with a ‘horn’ at the rear end.

Elephant hawk moths are just one of many species of moths that gardens can support. With around 2,500 species in Britain, moths are extremely important, diverse and interesting. Moths are vital for the food chain and can provide pollination services, but there is increasing evidence that Britain’s moths are in decline. Fine out more about moths in your garden

Appearance

Large (80-85mm long) brown or green caterpillars with black and pink eye spots and a small black horn on the rear end. Usually found in late summer to early autumn. The caterpillar feeds on leaves but extensive damage to garden plants is rare, and the moth can be encouraged. 

The caterpillars of this moth feed on a variety of plants including rosebay willowherb, Himalayan balsam and bedstraw. In gardens they are most commonly found on fuchsia.

Management

This moth is part of the biodiversity a healthy garden supports. Like many species of moth this species can be encouraged, in this case by planting its host plants such as Fuchsia. Plant damage is rarely severe or widespread, and there no need to take control measures against this insect. In most cases any plant damage goes unnoticed and fully fed caterpillars are found away from the food plant, looking for somewhere to bury themselves and pupate. 
If damage is likely to be extensive when feeding caterpillars are found they can be removed by hand and possibly transferred to one of the wildflower hosts such as rosebay willowherb.

Biology

The English name of this insect is derived from the shape and behaviour of the caterpillar. The head and thorax are distinctly more slender than the rest of the body and, this can be said to look like an elephant's trunk. When alarmed, the caterpillar pulls its head into its thorax which then looks swollen; this causes the two pairs of eye spot markings at the front end of the body to become more prominent. This gives the impression of a large false head, a defensive mechanism thought to make the caterpillar look snake-like and unappetising to predators.

Since the caterpillars do most of their feeding at night they often go unnoticed until fully fed, when they crawl off the food plant and look for somewhere to pupate. At this stage the caterpillars may be found on lawns or garden paths as they seek a place where they can burrow into the soil.

This insect overwinters as a pupa and emerges in May of the following year as a large (wing span 62-72mm) pink and olive green moth. Like most moths the adults are night-flying and so often go unseen unless attracted to light.

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