The forewings are generally long and pointed, although some species have angled or irregular margins. Each moth species has its own suite of suitable host plants (for example, some eat only members of the tobacco/tomato/potato family; others must eat the leaves of rose …

Sphinx moths are larger than most moths and the White-lined Sphinx Moth is no exception. The body of the white-lined sphinx moth ranges in length from 2 1/2 t…

Moth insects found in the state of Minnesota.

NOTE: Butterflies and Moths are part of the Lepidopteran order as they share many similarities.Image Credit: Lyn H. taken near Flaming Gorge Dam, UT Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org

Moths in this family are some of the fastest-flying insects, and they have several adaptations that make them good fliers: streamlined bodies, narrow wings with fore- and hindwings coupled together for efficiency, antennae that help them perform complex flying maneuvers, and a habit of “shivering” to warm up their flight muscles prior to taking off.In the 1800s, Charles Darwin pondered the case of a rare orchid in Madagascar whose nectar was stored at the bottom of a foot-long flower tube.

White-lined Sphinx moths are very common to occasionally abundant here in southeastern Arizona. In late summer, many people enjoy sitting on their patios and watching these mysterious hovering visitors sip nectar as twilight deepens.Tomato and tobacco hornworms are the bane of people trying to grow tomato, potato, tobacco, pepper, and other plants in the nightshade family.

Different species are more common in different regions.Most sphingids can produce several generations in a season, until cold weather stops them.

A few species form a very thin cocoon on the surface of the ground. Many are attracted to lights at night. A white-lined sphinx moth visiting a locoweed bloom at Star School Prairie.The hummingbird clearwing looks like a little hummingbird as it hovers near flowers.The caterpillars of sphinx moths usually have pointed tail-like appendages, which is why they're often called hornworms.Seen from above, the Virginia creeper sphinx has broad bands of dark brown, tan, gray, or olive. The furry brown thorax is ringed in black with white …

Luna moth caterpillars eat a variety of trees, including walnut, pecan, and sweetgum. Each moth species has its own suite of suitable host plants (for example, some eat only members of the tobacco/tomato/potato family; others must eat the leaves of rose … Black dashes look like pleats and run vertically down the wing, but none are close to the base. The Nessus sphinx caterpillar makes weird hissing and clicking noises by moving air back and forth past a constriction in its gut.Some adult sphinx moths have black plus red, pink, orange, or yellow bands on their abdomen, which makes them look like bumblebees.

Photo of a Luna Moth, seen in Garretts Bluff, Texas (Photo courtesy of LC)

The scales, whether muted or colorful, seem dusty if they rub off on your fingers. Most sphinx moths are nocturnal, but some are most active at dawn and dusk, or during the day. This white-lined sphinx moth undergoes complete metamorphosis, changing from a caterpillar to the adult moth.

White-lined sphinx moths are among the largest flying insects of the deserts, with adult wingspans exceeding 5 inches. It’s very common to see curious silky white oval blobs attached to the skin of hornworms — these are the cocoons of the pupating wasps. In addition to animals that capture and eat sphinx moths, small parasitoid braconid wasps inject their eggs (usually about 150 at a time) into the bodies of sphingid caterpillars.