Hawkmoths are large and medium-sized butterflies that fly at dusk and at night. They are called northern hummingbirds for their ability to drink nectar while hovering over flowers. These are the best flyers in the Lepidoptera order. Butterflies are capable of reaching speeds of up to 50 km/h and covering enormous distances during migration. The family includes more than 1 thousand species, one of the butterflies living in Russia is poplar hawkmoth. The adult lives in parks and gardens and does not feed. A large green caterpillar feeds on poplar, aspen, willow, and alder. At the end of the abdomen of the larva there is a horn, hallmark family of hawk moths.
Description of the species
The poplar hawkmoth (Laothoepopuli) belongs to the hawkmoth family, genus Laothoe. A large species of moth with a wingspan of 70-100 mm. The coloring of insects is dark muted shades. There are individuals of gray-brown, yellowish, gray-brown color. The wings are narrow, the front wings are twice as long as wide. The outer edge is wavy. The hind wings are shorter and wider, with a noticeable notch at the top of the outer edge. The base of the fore wings is paler. They are covered with a blurry pattern of dark bands.
Poplar Hawkmoth
Interesting fact. During rest, the moth folds its wings in a peculiar way - the pair of hind wings turns out to be half hidden by the pair of front ones. Visually they resemble a dry poplar leaf.
Long red hairs at the base of the hind wings form clearly visible spots. The body is cone-shaped, pointed at the end. Painted to match the color of the wings. The head, chest and abdomen are covered with gray-yellow pubescence. The eyes are large, facet type. The antennae, located between the crown and forehead, are sensory organs. With their help, butterflies catch odors and air vibrations. Females are distinguished by a lighter color, large body and thread-like antennae (males have comb antennae).
Larva
The large caterpillar of the poplar hawk moth is light and dark green in color. Less common are bluish-white colors. Its body length is 65-85 mm. There are 7 oblique yellowish stripes on the sides. The entire body is covered with yellow dots; many individuals have 1-2 rows of reddish spots. Bright dots are characteristic of insects feeding on willow. The larva moves with the help of 5 pairs of legs. The eighth abdominal segment has a dense outgrowth. The straight horn is yellow-green.
Distribution area
The cottonwood hawk moth is the most common species in the Palearctic and Middle East. Insects are found in Europe, Syria, Iran, China, and the southern Mediterranean. In Russia, butterflies are common in many regions; they live in western Siberia, in Buryatia. Moths settle in forests, parks, groves and gardens, and on river banks.
Lifestyle
Moths become active at dusk. During the daytime, they sit motionless on tree trunks. The dark color helps to camouflage, blending in with the color of the bark. Adults fly from May to September. In a cool climate, one generation develops per year, closer to the south - two generations. The first is April-June, the second is July-August. While resting, adults hold onto the tree with only their forelimbs.
In case of danger, they raise their front wings, showing a red-orange spot that the enemy can perceive as eyes. A similar protective mechanism is present in the behavior of the ocellated hawkmoth. Unlike many species of the Laothoepopuli family, adults lack a proboscis and do not feed. For the caterpillars, the main food plants are poplars, willows, aspens, birch, ash and apple trees.
Reproduction
Moths are insects with a full cycle of transformation. Mating occurs at the end of spring. Fertilized females lay up to 200 large, pale green eggs on leaves forage plants. After 7-10 days, caterpillars appear. With age, their color changes slightly.
At the end of June, the caterpillars descend from the trees to pupate in the soil at a depth of 2-3 cm. The pupa is black. In warm climates, a young butterfly emerges from it by July. She needs to crawl to a higher place to spread her wings. Holding onto a branch with its feet, the moth hangs down, hemolymph flows through the veins of the wings and gives them the desired shape. Autumn pupae remain overwinter; adults are born the following spring.
Information. Some of the pupae are eaten by natural enemies - moles and shrews.
Butterfly conservation
The cutting down of poplars and their replacement with other trees has led to a decline in the population of Laothoepopuli in some regions of Russia. In the Belgorod region, the butterfly is classified as a species that is declining in number. It is listed in the regional Red Book. Catching butterflies and disturbing their habitats is prohibited.
A moth is a small lepidopteran butterfly that is nocturnal. The easiest way to distinguish moths from other lepidopterans is to pay attention to the position of their wings when the insect is at rest. Butterflies fold their wings and keep them folded behind their backs, while moths spread their wings and keep them open. Moths are nocturnal butterflies, their main activity time is evening and night
Moths always strive to fly towards the light. Scientists have not yet been able to explain why this happens. But they always try to keep their body parallel to the rays of light. An ordinary light bulb produces rays radially, which is why moths fly around them all the time.
The protective coloring of moths is located on the outside of the wings; this also determines the fact that these butterflies usually straighten their wings: this is how camouflage works better. Although hobbyists enjoy feasting on these nocturnal insects, protective coloring does not help much.
A butterfly can also be distinguished from a moth by its denser and hairier body and the structure of its antennae. In daytime butterflies they are thin, with a thickening at the end, while in moths, on the contrary, the antennae are either straight or have a thick covering of hairs. Thanks to their antennae, lepidopterans can perceive the world around them, but without them they actually go blind.
It is believed that moths are much less beautiful than butterflies. And in most cases this is true. But there are species of moths that have very attractive and bright colors. True, some of the beautiful moths are also poisonous. The bright color helps scare away predators. For example, the Atlas Peacock-Eye moth has a very bright color and a bizarre wing shape. There are many more different subspecies of moths known to scientists than there are ordinary butterflies.
Moths reproduce using eggs. They can come in a wide variety of shades and shapes. These characteristics depend on the species of butterfly that laid them. Mating can occur both during flight and at rest. The female usually lays her eggs close to the food so that the hatched larvae have something to eat. After the clutch is laid, the female flies away. After some time, each egg will hatch into a caterpillar. The caterpillar is the first stage of moth metamorphosis.
Butterfly larvae do nothing but consume food. Some do this all the time, others only at night. As for the diet, basically any type of leaves is suitable for caterpillars to eat, but there are also more fastidious individuals that feed only on the leaves of certain plants.
Moths feed using their proboscis. But some individuals do not have it, because the caterpillar has accumulated a supply of nutrients, and it is enough for the butterfly to live out its short life.
There are caterpillars that are densely covered with hair, and those that are completely devoid of it. Hairy caterpillars should be handled carefully - sometimes they secrete a special protective liquid that can severely burn your hand. Moreover, liquid can be released even if the caterpillar has already died.
Caterpillars have sharp mandibles, excellent for holding and processing food. Thanks to the segmental structure of the body and growths, also called pseudopods, the caterpillar can move. The pseudopods have special suction cups and hooks that allow the butterfly larvae to move along both vertical and some horizontal surfaces. If suddenly the caterpillar cannot stay at a height, then it will not fall to the ground thanks to a special saliva-web, on which it will hang if it falls and will be able to climb back.
Each caterpillar has to go through a complex process - pupation. This is the second stage of metamorphosis. U different types the pupation process occurs in different places: on trees, bark or foliage, on the surface or underground. During the process of pupation, global changes in body structure occur. And if the caterpillar moved and ate almost all its life, then the pupa is motionless.
For the complete transformation process in the cocoon, different types of butterflies require different amounts of time. After the pupation process, the insect begins to produce special secretions that help it get out of the shell. This stage is called "imago". After birth, the butterfly cannot immediately fly into the air, so it is very vulnerable to various types of predators. Only camouflage color can save her.
The moth will be able to fly only after its wings, very crumpled and tender after leaving the cocoon, are saturated with liquid from the moth’s body. Only then will they straighten out and the moth will be able to fly. While this process is happening, the insect is busy removing from its body those substances that were not removed along with the cocoon.
The night butterfly insect is a representative of a group of families of the order butterflies (Lepidoptera), which ranks second in the number of species of the insect class. In addition to its nocturnal lifestyle, it is distinguished from the diurnal butterfly by some biological features.
Insect structure
The external characteristics of the adults of most moths are very similar. The body of an adult has three sections - head, abdomen and chest. The small head has compound eyes and clearly visible antennae. Many representatives of this species have two pairs of wings on their chests, and scales and dense hairs on their bodies. The insect's mouthparts are a proboscis that curls into a flat spiral. When inactive, it is usually hidden by a thick coat of scales.
The proboscis, when expanded, copes well with the absorption of liquid food, opening with its base directly into the pharynx. Non-feeding adults with rudiments of oral apparatus can be found very rarely. The most primitive adults of this order have gnawing jaws, which are endowed with the caterpillars of other insect species.
Usually moths have two pairs of wings. In most cases they are well developed, but their structure differs in some species. There are butterflies in which they are practically absent. The wings look like wide or narrow planes, which affects the ability of different species to fly. There are moths with a lack of hairs and scales on the surface of the wings. But this does not affect the ability to fly well. Their wings are narrow, and they do not need additional support, which could be a scaly cover. 
Nutritional Features
When the protein reserves accumulated during the caterpillar stage are depleted, the butterfly loses the ability to reproduce. This forces her to consume liquid food using her proboscis. Its structure allows insects to easily get nectar from flowers and suck out the juice that is secreted by damaged fruits and tree trunks.
Usually the proboscis has dimensions suitable for the depth of the flower, the nectar of which the butterfly feeds on. It is worth noting that all types of insects have different lengths and shapes of the proboscis. It depends on the taste preferences of the butterflies. Some of them feed exclusively on the juice of fruits or plants, others consume the sweet secretions of aphids. Some adult butterflies do not feed at all, so their proboscis is underdeveloped or completely absent.
Reproduction process
Butterflies have the ability to find mates over long distances. The male can sense the female at a distance of several kilometers. This is explained by the fact that the female produces specific substances that the male is able to catch with his antennae. Some females have the ability to produce an ultrasonic signal, which can also be sensed by males at great distances. 
In the breeding of butterflies important role devoted to the shape and color of the wings, as well as to complex forms of courtship - dancing and mating flights. Some species exhibit sexual dimorphism. It is important for a normal sexual cycle, since it is easy to identify a marriage partner based on external differences. In addition, pheromones secreted by insects make it easier to find a partner.
Mating itself takes place on the ground or the surface of a plant. Its duration can vary - from 15 minutes to 1-2 hours. During mating, individuals are motionless. In addition to sperm, the female receives from the male some trace elements and proteins that are necessary for the formation of eggs.
Main types
There are about 100 families in the order Lepidoptera. The most common types of moths are:
- Glass flies, which are distinguished by scaleless transparent wings. A bit like bees.
- Moths, most of which are pests. These are small insects. At rest, their wings are folded into a triangle.
- Hawkmoths are large species. In my own way appearance resemble hummingbirds.
- Moths are characterized by wide wings and small, slender shapes. Their caterpillars “walk” vertically, bending in the form of a loop.
- Dippers are medium-sized, hairy butterflies with brightly colored wings.
- Cutworms are inconspicuous insects with thread-shaped antennae and gray or brown wings.
Some butterflies have developed the ability to mimicry to such perfection that they are simply impossible to recognize. For example, the “hornet butterfly” Sesia apiformis, also known as the large poplar glass, looks exactly like a huge wasp. Another example is the common tongue, very similar to a hummingbird.
The peacock-eyed Saturnia luna glows with a soft green light - but not itself, but reflecting the light of the Moon with its huge wings. These moths live only a week, cannot feed and are only capable of reproduction.
Many moths prefer to feed not on nectar, but on the tears of large mammals - deer, crocodiles, elephants. Some even sip blood. Madagascar butterflies Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica drink the tear fluid of sleeping birds using a special proboscis with a harpoon-shaped tip.
The Death's Head butterfly, which many know from the film The Silence of the Lambs, loves honey. And she gets it straight from the hives - deceiving the guards with the help of a disorienting cry, and the worker bees - with the help of advanced chemical camouflage. In addition, her immunity to bee venom allows her to withstand many stings.
How are sloths and moths related? Sloths live in complete safety among the dense foliage, coming to the ground only once a month to defecate and risk being attacked by predators. They cannot do this from above because the moths living in their fur lay their eggs in their excrement. The moth is in a complex symbiosis with algae growing on the sloth, which it needs for camouflage and obtaining nutrients.
The fine-spun heather butterfly is famous for its bizarre breeding ritual. Males gather in a group called "lek" and emit the smell of fresh pineapples to attract females. During mating, couples freeze in bizarre positions, clasping their genitals, and remain absolutely motionless so as not to attract the attention of predators.
The corydalis butterfly Gluphisia septentrionis is in desperate need of baking soda. But the way she gets it is nothing short of crazy. The butterfly greedily absorbs water, then splashing it out from the back of its body in a jet stream, absorbing only the soda in it. This process continues for several hours, and during this time liters of water are “distilled” through the small insect.
Getting nectar from a flower on the fly is a very difficult task. The tobacco hawk moth controls this process by deliberately... slowing down its own brain. So she greatly reduces her reaction, but she sees better in low light and tracks the position of the flower.
Moths - favorite treat bats. These ruthless hunters with personal sonars are almost impossible to hide from unless you develop your own sonic weapon. This is exactly what three species of butterflies from the bear family did - with the help of their genitals, they make clicks that interrupt the signals of bats and temporarily “blind” them.
Here are 10 facts about butterflies and moths that are crazy and amazing, but absolutely true. For example, sometimes butterflies have to drink the tears of sleeping birds to survive. And this is not poetry, but the most factual fact.
