Silver-striped Hawk Moth

Description:

Hippotion celerio L,1758. "The body and forewing of the adult moth are green and ochre. They have silvery white dots and streaks, with a silvery band running obliquely on the forewing. The hindwing is red near its lower angle (tornus) to pinkish over other parts of the wing. It is crossed by a black bar and black veins." Wikipedia.

Habitat:

Spotted a late instar larva Hippotion celerio on Corazon de Maria (Caladium bicolour) on the verge just outside our gate. I went indoors and brought out my secateurs. I cut the stem and brought the leaf with the larva inside and added it to a cage which already held some captive reared larvae of the same species. It pupated successfully and, after 15 days, eclosed in the morning sometime around 5:30 a.m. and the pictures show it being released back into the wild that evening.

Notes:

The website: https://tpittaway.tripod.com/sphinx/h_ce... has some good pictures and information, but also some beautiful sketches.