Allotments 4 All

A couple of weeks ago i found a giant catepillar on the bindweed on my plot. I eventually identified this magnificent beast as a Convolvulus Hawkmoth Larvae. It was about 7cm long and as thick as my thumb, Green with black legs and some black and white strips and a red 'horn' on it's rear end. Apparently comes from tropical africa eventually turns into moth about 15cm across which is frequently mistaken for a bat! The catepillar comes in a huge range of colour combinations makes it a bit difficult to identify. Anybody else come across one? Mines disappeared now probably didn't survive the frost.

http://www.javajane.co.uk/Hawk%20Sphinx%20moths/slides/convolvulus_hawk_moth_a.html

This monster?


Found his portrait on:
http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/

Haven't come across him, but have seen hummingbird hawkmoth caterpillars, which are also fairly spectacular!

I had a picture of one similar to the one I found but unfortunately my husband has loaded some new software that has messed up my photo files i.e. it has attached itself to them so I can't put the picture on at the moment. I thought about bringing him in out of the cold but keeping the nearly died back bindweed in foliage was going to be a problem. I also have the Hummingbird Hawkmoths but haven't seen their caterpillars.