Willowherb hawkmoth
Proserpinus proserpina
The willowherb hawkmoth is a hawkmoth from Europe and western Asia. Hawkmoths are strong, fast flyers with long, narrow wings. Its caterpillar loves willowherb plants.
Lives in
Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia, from Portugal to Kazakhstan
Wingspan
3.6 to 6 cm (1.4 to 2.4 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
The caterpillar eats willowherb, evening primrose and purple loosestrife.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🧱wings as wide as 2 toy building bricks⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 9.7 seconds
How big is Willowherb hawkmoth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
Willowherb hawkmoth about 39 km/h (24 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its wingspan can be anywhere from 3.6 to 6 centimetres.
2
It lives in more than 25 countries, from Morocco and Portugal to Uzbekistan.
3
It is named after the willowherb, the plant its caterpillar eats most.
you asked
Most asked questions about Willowherb hawkmoth
?What does the willowherb hawkmoth caterpillar eat?
Willowherb, evening primrose and purple loosestrife.
?Where does the willowherb hawkmoth live?
In Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Proserpinus proserpina
- Named by
- Pallas, 1772
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Willowherb hawkmoth (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Lucarelli. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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