I’ve just got back from a very enjoyable late evening walk at Rhossili. The air was alive with the sound of calling Crickets, but the real star was to be found sat on one of the gate posts on the way down to the beach.
This is a Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli), and is by the far the biggest moth that I have ever seen. It measures about five centimetres in length and is an immigrant to Britain, typically on the wing from August to November. The females are usually larger and plainer with smaller antennae than males of the species, which I think fits in rather well with our individual above. I have had a look at the local moth recording website and it seems that a couple of pre-2006 records exist in roughly the same vicinity as our sighting for this species, as shown on the distribution map below.
More information on moths in my area can be found at the Glamorgan Moth Recording Group.
5 Comments
TexWisGirl · August 20, 2011 at 12:04 am
always just want to reach out and pet their furry bodies… 🙂
Bob Bushell · August 20, 2011 at 9:25 am
Beautiful Hawkmoth.
holdingmoments · August 20, 2011 at 6:21 pm
A fascinating subject Adam.
Lovely capture.
theconstantwalker · August 22, 2011 at 8:06 pm
A lovely image Adam…
Moths are wonderful underrated little creatures.
Adam Tilt · August 25, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Thanks for your comments everyone. This one was a real beast!