The elephant in the room

Late summer is the best time to discover one of the UK’s chunkiest caterpillars, the Elephant Hawk-moth.
Pretty in pink
Hawk-moths are arguably our most impressive moths. They’re big and often boldly patterned. You can find them drawn to lights, or sometimes stumble across them resting on posts, trees, or walls. But even amongst the hawk-moths, there’s one that’s a real fan favourite. It’s flamboyantly dressed in pink and olive-green, has a 3cm-long forewing, and is named after one of the world’s most massive mammals!
The Elephant Hawk-moth is found across the UK, in a range of habitats including woodlands, parks and gardens. The eye-catching adults are on the wing from May until August. They’re easily attracted to lights, or can sometimes be spotted from dusk, feeding on open flowers like Honeysuckle.

Elephants and eye spots
Looking at the adult moth, it’s hard to imagine how it earned the epithet of elephant. Sure, they’re big, but they’re far from the largest hawk-moth in the country. To solve that mystery, we have to seek out a caterpillar. When they’re fully grown, Elephant Hawk-moth are one of the largest and most distinctive caterpillars you’re likely to find.
They grow to around 8cm long, are chunky, and usually brown with darker markings that give them a slightly wrinkled look. As a result, they do look a bit like an elephant’s trunk! Like other hawk-moth caterpillars, they have a short ‘horn’ on their rear, which has a white tip. But their most distinctive features are the large eyespots just behind the head. There are two on each side of the body, black circles with a paler crescent within. These large, fake eyes help put off potential predators. To add to the effect, the caterpillars can partially retract their actual head – giving them the look of a cartoon snake.
Where there’s a willowherb, there’s a way
Many caterpillars have a favourite food and Elephant Hawk-moth are no exception. Though they can be found feasting on a wide range of plants, including balsams and bedstraws, they’re usually discovered on willowherbs and fuchsias. They’re not always easy to spot, as they do much of their feeding at night.
When they’re small, the caterpillars are green and well-camouflaged. They often spend the day tucked under a leaf on their chosen plant. As they grow and adopt their trunk-like appearance, they start to commute instead. They spend the day resting on the ground at the base of the plant, travelling up the stem to feed when it gets dark. On warm days they may sometimes rise a little earlier to spend the afternoon basking in a prominent position.

Trunk and disorderly
Though Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillars can appear as early as June, they often go unnoticed until late summer. By this point, they’re larger and more easily spotted. However, what really starts to give them away is their habit of wandering. In August and September, fully fed caterpillars leave their foodplant and crawl off in search of a place to pupate. They do this in a cocoon in leaf litter or in the soil, just below the surface. Their wandering ways often take them over lawns, paths, and patios. They’ll pass the winter as a pupa, emerging as adults in late spring to start the cycle over again.
If you are an Elephant Hawk-moth fan, you might like our new t-shirt and tote bag design. All sales of our sustainably-produced clothing helps support local nature conservation work in Sussex.

Comments
Great info – thanks, it filled in some gaps for me on their habits as caterpillars during summer.
24 Aug 2023 10:58:00
lovely article and super pictures! Several little facts I didn’t know. I shall to look out for them wandering about. I have long loved the adult which is quite beautiful. Thanks
24 Aug 2023 17:20:00
Fascinating!
Love to see the pictures.
25 Aug 2023 09:53:00
That’s so interesting I just spotted one in our front garden in Shoreham earlier today!
25 Aug 2023 20:44:00
Just spotted a green caterpillar with 2 “eyes” each side of its head. Never seen one before. It was on a half eaten hosta leaf
12 Aug 2024 12:18:00
I had one of these in my garden last week and had to look up to see what it was, as I had never seen one before.
15 Aug 2024 10:44:00
Very interesting. Never seen one before, as caterpillar or moth. I will definately be on the lookout now!!
15 Aug 2024 18:46:00
15 Aug 2024 23:44:00
Thanks I found this really interesting and inspiring. Found one a few years back in leaf litter when moving broken furniture. Scared me at first with its ‘eyes’ so can see why that puts of predators. Have inspired me to plant willow herb – although not sure what that is- and fushias. I have honey suckle and other pollinator friendly plants. Best. Alison
16 Aug 2024 06:10:00
Love a good pun – thank you!!
16 Aug 2024 15:37:00
Great article! Thank you.
19 Aug 2024 13:28:00
I have just found two in my garden. I was curious as to what they were. Thanks for the info, really interesting.
29 Aug 2024 10:45:00
Very interesting.! I have just spotted 4 Elephant Hawk Caterpillars so big ! And 1 Bright Green Young one .
So lovely to see . And showed some other people that hadn’t seen one before or knew nothing of .! I think they so lovely , there big eyes . I have Helped them before in past , and one that was going to be trod on other day .! This was in Lavant . Near Chichester .!
01 Sep 2024 10:19:00
I have a fully grown elephant moth. I picked it up from the patio because the dog was trying to get it.,I have kept it in a vented tub, because I didn’t know how rare it is. When will it become a moth and will it be OK in the box
27 Sep 2024 11:59:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
It’s best put out in the garden and away from where the dog might get it. It will bury itself in loose soil or leaf-litter where it will spin a very loose cocoon and will pupate inside. It will emerge as an adult moth at any time next year from about mid-June onward.
It would be possible to keep it in captivity until it emerges but this would require that it be given suitable conditions, i.e. the above mentioned loose soil and leaf litter, it would also need to be kept cool over the winter in humid but not wet conditions (basically, replicating what it would experience if left outside)