セスジスズメ

この季節になると、大きな芋虫が道を横切っているのを見ます。スズメガの終齢幼虫です。中には運悪く車にひかれたり、野鳥の衛士気になるものもいます。大人しく食草のあった場所でサナギになる場所を探せば良いのに、わざわざ道路を横断してまでも新天地を求めるような気がしてなりません。

この日見つけたのはセスジスズメの終齢幼虫。本来はヤブガラシの葉を食べますが、このときはイノコヅチの細い枝に迷い込んでしまって、困っているようです。迫力ある写真ですが、迫力ある大きさの幼虫です。

At this time of the year, we see large caterpillars crossing the road. They are the last instar larvae of the hawk moths. Some of them are unlucky to get run over by cars or become the prey of wild birds. They should have stayed where they were and looked for a place to pupate, but they seem to be adventurous enough to go out of their way to cross the road to find a new world.

What I found this day was the last instar larva of a white-banded hunter hawkmoth.（Theretra oldenlandiae）. It normally feeds on the leaves of yabugarashi, but on this occasion it had wandered into the thin branches of a Japanese knotweed and seemed to be in trouble. Boy, this guy is big!

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Photo 2021-09-24