Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Elegant sphinx
Sphinx perelegans Hy. Edwards, 1874
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Forewing is dark gray with a pale gray line along the outer margin and a diffuse pale gray patch from the base to the center of the wing. Hindwing is black with white bands.
Wing Span: 3 9/16 - 4 5/16 inches (9 - 11 cm).
Life History: Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in chambers in the soil.
Flight: . Two broods from April-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Snowberries (Symphoricarpos), apple and plum (Prunus), manzanita (Arctostaphylos), and mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including evening primrose and rhododendron.
Habitat: Oak woodlands and mountains.
Range: British Columbia south to southern California and Baja California Sur, east to Colorado and New Mexico.
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: Caterpillars are sometimes pests of plum and apple trees.
Comments: NULL

Verified Sightings

Displaying 1 - 24 of 121 verified sightings
Observation date: May 08, 2018
Submitted by: dragonflyer111
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Nov 08, 2022
  Details
Observation date: Jun 19, 2018
Submitted by: rhuitron
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
  Details
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: RoxannaTessman
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 18, 2022
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Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: KittenWood Mountain
Region: Josephine County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 07, 2022
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Observation date: Jun 18, 2022
Submitted by: rpklein
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 19, 2022
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Observation date: Jun 12, 2022
Submitted by: Chris Tosdevin
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jun 14, 2022
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Observation date: Sep 11, 2015
Submitted by: botto1968
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 01, 2022
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Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 03, 2021
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Observation date: Jun 04, 2018
Submitted by: klebo
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Nov 15, 2021
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Observation date: Jun 23, 2018
Submitted by: asabspade
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Nov 15, 2021
  Details
Observation date: Aug 09, 2016
Submitted by: Angiesouza
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
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Observation date: Aug 10, 2016
Submitted by: Catzman
Region: Butte County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
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Observation date: Sep 12, 2021
Submitted by: WesternLarch
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 14, 2021
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Observation date: Jul 03, 2021
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 20, 2021
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Observation date: Sep 04, 2013
Submitted by: albicaulis
Region: Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 27, 2021
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Observation date: Jun 11, 2016
Submitted by: TBuzzard
Region: Douglas County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 18, 2021
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Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Kaylamace62
Region: Josephine County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 14, 2021
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Observation date: Jul 15, 2020
Submitted by: Anne Lindsay
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Nov 17, 2020
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Observation date: Jul 04, 2019
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Flathead County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 09, 2019
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Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Kristi DuBois
Region: Mineral County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
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Observation date: Jun 23, 2019
Submitted by: Zach Eckert
Region: Chelan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 23, 2019
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Observation date: Jun 05, 2019
Submitted by: Zach Eckert
Region: Chelan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 07, 2019
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Observation date: Jun 03, 2018
Submitted by: Carsonbay
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 04, 2018
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Observation date: Aug 05, 2017
Submitted by: Sem
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 15, 2017
  Details