Big poplar sphinx
Pachysphinx occidentalis (Hy. Edwards, 1875)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Two color forms exist. Upperside of wings is yellow brown in the pale form, dark gray in the dark form. Lines and bands are well-defined. Hindwing has a crimson patch covering varying amounts of the wing, and 2 dark lines which do not form a distinct triangle.
Wing Span: 5 1/8 - 5 7/8 inches (13 - 15 cm).
Life History: Females lay eggs on leaves of the hosts. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in shallow burrows in the ground.
Flight: . Two broods in southern Arizona from May-September, one brood northward from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Cottonwood and poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Riparian areas and suburbs.
Range: North Dakota west to eastern Washington; south to Texas, southern California, and Baja California Norte.
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.
Get your 2023 BAMONA Gear!
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Thank you!
We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 278 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 03, 2023
Submitted by: CarrieTurk76
Region: Umatilla County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 10, 2023
Observation date: Aug 04, 2014
Submitted by: jim.odonater
Region: Grant County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Jul 30, 2018
Submitted by: Kmt44412701
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: May 04, 2017
Submitted by: caelenz
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Jun 14, 2018
Submitted by: johngalt1962
Region: San Juan County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: cfkeller
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: cfkeller
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Apr 19, 2014
Submitted by: vguzman
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Aug 03, 2021
Submitted by: Arizhel
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 08, 2017
Submitted by: Jwmoede
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: SierraDoodle2
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Aug 09, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: Heyyo
Region: Lyon County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 21, 2023
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 26, 2022
Observation date: Sep 07, 2022
Submitted by: Djhaenel
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
Observation date: Jun 28, 2022
Submitted by: Laylurss
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Moffat County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Slmantovani85
Region: Lake County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: RadRae
Region: Oscoda County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 21, 2022
Observation date: Nov 01, 2018
Submitted by: DanaDilbert
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2015
Submitted by: tynkerfly
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 28, 2014
Submitted by: Kdnelson13
Region: Morgan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2012
Submitted by: jmaxxwell
Region: Gem County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 31, 2021
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 12, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: Boringmat
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 15, 2021
- 1 of 12
- next ›