| Actual Image
Eyed Hawk-moth (72)
Argus
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2707 W: 139 N: 7809]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (24333) | This morning I was thrilled to see him emerged, hanging to dry his wings out on a twig in the jar that held him.
Though I do not take shots of living things in captivity, first read this:
Last summer I found a female Eyed Hawk moth in our garden and I caught her and tried to photograph her. Instead she insisted in crawling into an awkward position, but in doing so she laid some eggs and then flew off.
Undaunted I took the eggs and waited until they hatched, having placed some leaves of the larval host plant, apple in the jar. Other larval host plants include willow and sallow. This is the trunk of the willow tree in our garden.
I let the caterpillars develop and grow and when almost full grown, took a shot of one of them (see WORKSHOP). Three caterpillars survived to be full grown and pupated in the sandy soil provided.
They then overwintered in the soil in the bottom of a large jar in the coolness of the garage.The first one to emerge was unsuccessfully photographed before flying away, But this one was taken in the afternoon sunshine while he trembled his wings prior to flying away. A captive insect? Hardly!
The Eyed Hawk-moth is well camouflaged when resting, the eye marks on the hindwing being hidden. When about to fly or when alarmed it shows the striking eye marks that startle the predator enough for it to have time to fly away.
This was taken at a distance of about 3 meters. After slight cropping and size reduction the image was slightly sharpened.
As all hawk-moths tremble their wings for a while before flying away, the tips of the wings in this image are blurred. I would have needed a much higher shutter-speed and aperture to have all the moth in focus. |
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