Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1012111

Carolina sphinx
Manduca sexta

Observation date: September 08, 2014
Submitted by: Rosey Leal
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: It has been on my screendoor since about 2am PST. It is alive because it moves ever so slightly. It is very hot and windy today. Last night when I first seen it flying around it was windy and chilly outside. It hit my sliding glass door a few times last night. The noise is what got my attention. Then I seen this beautiful creature, big and like a small bird. I was scared but amazed. We have no "fruit" bearing plants or trees in our yard. Only one bush that has some pink flowers. There was a small "web" like clump on the lower left leg. it looked s if an insect was trapped in it but I managed to get it off its leg. This is the first I have seen in person in all my 35 years of life. Speechless.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Josiah Gilbert
Verified date: September 08, 2014
Coordinator notes: Your identification is in the correct genus (Manduca), but this is a different species. This is the closely related the Carolina Sphinx (Manduca sexta), rather than the Five-spotted Hawkmoth (Manduca quinquemaculata). Thanks for submitting. Josiah Gilbert