Elephant Hawk-Moth (Deilephila elpenor) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The elephant hawk-moth is a pink-and-olive moth from Europe and Asia, named for its caterpillar, whose long, wrinkled front end looks a bit like an elephant's trunk. It was the first animal shown to see color at night. It isn't native to North America, but it has been introduced to British Columbia, Canada.

Appearance

Appearance: A medium-sized moth with a wingspan of about 2.4–2.8 in (60–70 mm). The forewings are olive brown with pink edges and two pink lines. The hindwings are black near the body, fading to pink, with white fringes. A thick pink stripe runs down the abdomen.

Where it lives

Range: Widespread across Europe and temperate Asia, east to Japan. In North America it was introduced to British Columbia, Canada.

Behavior

Diet: Adults hover in front of flowers to sip nectar.
Activity: Flies mostly from dusk until early morning and is often drawn to lights.
Senses: Its eyes have three color pigments (ultraviolet, blue, and green), letting it tell colors apart in dim light.
Overwintering: Spends the winter as a pupa in a silk-lined chamber in plant litter or just under the soil.

Life cycle

Larva: Caterpillars may be brown-gray or green and grow to about 3 in (7–8 cm), with a backward-curving horn at the tail. When disturbed, a caterpillar swells its front end, making its eyespots stand out like a small snake's eyes.
Caterpillar food plants: In Europe, females lay eggs mainly on fireweed (rosebay willowherb) and bedstraws. Which plants the caterpillars use in British Columbia is not covered by the sources checked.