Blinded sphinx
Paonias excaecata (J.E. Smith, 1797)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Outer margins of the forewings are strongly scalloped, with white fringe on the concave part of the scallops. Forewing upperside is pale gray to dark reddish brown; underside has pink at the base. Upperside of hindwing is pale to dark brown with a broad pink patch at the base and a single blue eyespot.
Wing Span: 2 3/16 - 3 3/4 inches (5.5 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: Eggs hatch seven to eight days after they are laid. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in underground chambers.
Flight: . Three broods in Florida from March-October, several broods in Louisiana from March-September, and one or two broods in the rest of the range from May-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: A variety of deciduous trees including basswood (Tilia), willow (Salix), birch (Betula), hawthorn (Crataegus), poplar (Populus), oaks (Quercus), ocean spray (Holodiscus), and cherry (Prunus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woods, other wooded habitats, and suburbs.
Range: Throughout most of the United States and southern Canada from Nova Scotia and Maine south to Florida; west to British Columbia and Washington, northern California, and Arizona.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Alternate Scientific Names:
Paonias excaecatus
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1110 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: Deaner414
Region: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2017
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Graham County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 24, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: CatNanny
Region: Durham County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 23, 2020
Observation date: May 12, 2020
Submitted by: ShariSchultz
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 12, 2020
Observation date: May 11, 2020
Submitted by: rwelch2415
Region: Whatcom County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 12, 2020
Observation date: May 02, 2020
Submitted by: elbind
Region: Oconee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 03, 2020
Observation date: Jun 16, 2019
Submitted by: aaudrey.van
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Mar 03, 2020
Observation date: Jul 28, 2014
Submitted by: harried1
Region: Cabell County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 24, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Winona County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 11, 2019
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Crook County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 10, 2019
Observation date: Jul 18, 2017
Submitted by: Gori88lla
Region: Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: kathy.wiederholt
Region: Foster County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 08, 2019
Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: Chrysalis Scryer
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 06, 2019
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: Mycle
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 22, 2019
Observation date: Aug 29, 2019
Submitted by: 4wildlife
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: kristasessions
Region: Cortland County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Aug 16, 2019
Observation date: Jul 22, 2019
Submitted by: pantos
Region: Medina County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 15, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: Caranoid
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 14, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: Kandis
Region: Prince William County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Aug 06, 2019
Submitted by: MLBishop
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 07, 2019
Observation date: Jul 19, 2015
Submitted by: Chuck Meier
Region: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 07, 2019
Observation date: May 30, 2019
Submitted by: Crstemple
Region: Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 04, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: meadowglenfarm
Region: Scott County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: heiseymj
Region: St. Lawrence County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
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