People in Sussex urged to look out for 'strange garden visitor'
People in Sussex are being urged to keep an eye out for a strange visitor to local gardens.
The call comes from Sussex Wildlife Trust which says that August is the best time of year to discover one of the UK’s chunkiest caterpillars – the Elephant Hawk-moth.
A spokesperson said: “The bright pink Elephant Hawk-moth is arguably one of our most impressive moths. They can be seen from May to August, often feeding on honeysuckle.”The moth is up to 8cm long, usually dark brown with a wrinkled body, the caterpillar resembles an elephant's trunk. “This is where this moth gets its unusual name,” said the spokesperson.
“They also have two large, distinctive eye-spots, which give the caterpillar the appearance of a cartoon snake.”
The caterpillar pictured here was found on a fuchsia plant in a garden in Horsham. If you have a photo of an Elephant Hawk-moth you would like to share, email it to [email protected]