A HALLOWEEN HAWK MOTH.


  This time last year, in southern spain, l was watering my garden,
by the little pond. Here grows a rather lovely winter jasmine,
which had been cultivated from a cutting. l had recently noticed
that several  branches had been stripped of leaves!  I carried on
spraying it from a distance, when l noticed, what l thought was a
large plastic toy hanging from a twig. l sprayed some more, trying
to knock it off. But no it hung on. l put the hose down and went in
for a closer look and to my amazement saw a spectacular
caterpillar. I took some good photos, but can't get them up on this
tablet!

  It was a vivid green, with diagonal stripes along it's sides. lt was
the length of my hand, and had a little tail. When l disturbed it, it
hung it's head down, imitating a twig branching off. l looked deeper
into the bush and saw another, but this one was brown apart from
its head, which was white, almost in the design of a skull! Ahha a
deaths head hawk moth.

  Yes, l did a bit of investigation and sure enough they were. The
brown one was ready to drop to the ground where it would bury itself
and pupate. Normally these beautiful creatures feed on members
of the solanacea family of plants. Now l understood why my plant
had been stripped of leaves!  They are also said, as adult moths, to feed
on the honey from bee hives. There are plenty of those up on the
mountains. l visited them for several days to watch them feed,  they
did day and night. Till eventually l saw them no more. First the brown
one disapeared, then the green one turned brown and did the same.