Elephant hawk-moth
Deilephila elpenor
Moth
The elephant hawk-moth is a large sphingid named for the trunk-like appearance of its caterpillar. Adults are strikingly olive-green and bright pink, with a wingspan of roughly 45–70 mm; they fly from dusk into the night between May and August and hover to feed on nectar from tubular flowers, with honeysuckle (Lonicera) a well-documented favourite. Larvae feed primarily on rosebay willowherb and bedstraw but are frequently found on garden Fuchsia. The grey-brown caterpillar bears large eye-like spots that it flashes when alarmed. The species is common across the Palearctic and has been expanding northward in Britain.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 1
Garden Fuchsia is a frequently recorded larval host in cultivation (Onagraceae, the willowherb family).
Nectar plants · 2
Honeysuckle (Lonicera) is a well-documented preferred adult nectar source; the moth hovers at the tubular flowers at dusk.
Range
Distributed throughout the Palearctic — common across England, Wales, Ireland, and increasingly Scotland, and extending through central and eastern Europe into Asia and Japan, with a distinct subspecies in southern Asia. An introduced population is established in the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Elephant hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor). Retrieved 2026, June 30, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/elephant-hawk-moth
Sources for wildlife facts
6 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
Elephant hawk-moth — Wikipedia
Identification, Palearctic range and introduced BC population, larval hosts (willowherb, bedstraw, Fuchsia), and dusk nectar-feeding at tubular flowers including honeysuckle.
Backs 6 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Host plants
Foraging
Lifecycle
Garden habitat