Pandorus Sphinx Moth; Alexandria, Va; Thursday August 1, 2019
Published 2019-08-01
When this Pandorus Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha pandorus) dropped in, I saw it out of the corner of my right eye and I thought it was a small bird, like a wren; or maybe it was an oak twig with a few leaves attached, falling to the ground. But then I saw it on the ground in front of me beating its wing at the pace of a near blur, but the Moth remained in place on the ground until it beat its wings fast enough to take a floundering ground dragging flight. I took this video of it and snapped some pictures. There are Virginia Creeper, Vitis species and Amepolpsis species nearby. All are caterpillar host plants of this moth. I pull out Amepolopsis brevipedunculata (Porcelain Berry Vine) when I can, since it is in invasive species. There are currently some Porcelain Berry vines trailing over the Azaleas at the front of the house that I will pull out before the fall. I was little shakey with the camera towards the end because of the weird position I was in trying to follow it. Then I ended the video.
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