Elephant hawk moth

Elephant hawk moth caterpillars primarily feed on the leaves of rosebay willowherb, fuchsias, and bedstraws. In gardens, they can also be found feeding on lavender, honeysuckle, and dahlias.

They occasionally consume Himalayan balsam, enchanter's nightshade, or even grapevines. 

Caterpillars are highly specialized eaters; they cannot survive on household foods like lettuce or grass, and will starve if their specific host plants are unavailable. 

They do most of their feeding at night, hiding near their host plants low to the ground or in the soil during the day.

Until the 1980s, these striking, olive-green and electric-pink moths were mostly restricted to the southern half of Scotland. Thanks to warmer temperatures, they have expanded their range all the way up the north coast and into the Highlands.

The species gets its unusual name from its caterpillars, which can grow up to 8cm long and physically resemble an elephant's trunk.

To scare off predators the caterpillar can retract its actual head and swell up its bulbous neck, emphasizing two enormous black-and-white "eyespots" to look like a menacing, cartoonish snake.

Adult moths were among the first animals discovered to have nocturnal colour vision, which helps them hover and navigate toward tubular flowers like honeysuckle in very dark conditions.

In late summer (August to September), caterpillars wander across garden paths, lawns, or patios as they search for leaf litter or soil to pupate in for the winter.