Hawk Moths are the moths that get noticed most by the non-obsessed, and I think that these two show why.
On the right is a nice fresh Elephant
Hawkmoth (
Deilephila elpenor). The English name is derived from the
caterpillar's suposed resemblance to an elephant's trunk. The natural food plant of the larvae is
Rosebay Willowherb (
Epilobium angustifolium), but also other plants as well, including
Bedstraw (
Galium). For some reason in gardens they are very partial to
fuschia bushes.
On the left is the slightly smaller, Small Elephant Hawkmoth (D. elpenor). It is brightly coloured but more locally distributed than its larger relative, although it occurs widely in Britain. It prefers chalky districts, so it is quite at home in St Margaret's. The larvae, are similar to those of the Elephant Hawkmoth feed mostly on bedstraw (Galium). I don't know if it too is fond of Fuschias.
These were photographed in my Garden in St Margaret's at Cliffe on June 1st, having been caught overnight.
Above is a Waved Black which is a Nationally Scarce B resident and suspected immigrant with the home counties accounting for the majority of records.
The summer of 2006 was a good year for migrant moths and even such a tiny garden in the west of Kent attracted good numbers of the micros Diamond-back Moth and Rush Veneer as well as the more regular migrant the Silver Y. This is what I initially though this was but on closer inspection it proved to be the immigrant Ni Moth which are not recorded every year in the UK but do occasionally appear in numbers, such as 2006. 
