The fabulous furry Poplar Hawk Moth!

Fabulous furry moth

Here we have a photo of the Poplar Hawk Moth (Laothoe populi). This is a full body macro shot to give you a view of how remarkable its camouflage is, looking for all the world like a bunch of dead leaves, and indeed the subtle colours are very similar to the dead leaves of its food plant, the Poplar tree, from where, of course, it gets its name. It is one of the UK’s largest moth with a wingspan approaching 4 inches and, while not rare, it is seldom seen due to the effectiveness of its camouflage. This is also helped by the positioning of the wings, which are not completely overlapping, like most moths, giving the impression of separate leaves, with the forewings only partially covering the hind wings and is one of the few moths to lack a frenulum (the small hook which normally ensures the wings are held together. The moth is resting on an old seed head of a foxglove and, if you look carefully, you can see tiny fungal spores growing on them. I am delighted to share this fabulous furry moth with you as it is one of my all time favourites – I hope you don’t think me peculiar :0)