Laurel sphinx
Sphinx kalmiae
Name means: “named after Kalmia, the plant its caterpillar was first found on”
The laurel sphinx is a big hawk moth from North America. It got its name from the mountain laurel, called Kalmia, the plant where its caterpillar was first seen. Its strong wings can be more than 10 centimetres wide.
Lives in
The United States and southern Canada
Wingspan
7.5 to 10 cm (3 to 4.1 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the leaves of mountain laurel, lilac, ash and fringe trees.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
✋wings as wide as your hand⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 7.4 seconds
How big is Laurel sphinx 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)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
Laurel sphinx about 51 km/h (32 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
In Canada there is one family of moths a year, but in the south there are two.
2
In Louisiana there may be as many as six generations in one year.
3
It was named by the English scientist James Edward Smith.
you asked
Most asked questions about Laurel sphinx
?Why is it called the laurel sphinx?
It is named after the mountain laurel, the plant where its caterpillar was first found.
?How big is the laurel sphinx?
Its wings are about 7.5 to 10 centimetres wide.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Sphinx kalmiae
- Named by
- Smith
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Sphinx kalmiae (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 Mike Boone. CC BY-SA 2.5, 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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