Template:POTD/2025-09-09
Appearance
The poplar hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) is a moth in the family Sphingidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and is one of the most common members of the family in the region. The poplar hawkmoth produces one or two broods each year, the spherical, pale green eggs being laid on the underside of leaves. The larva is initially pale green with small yellow tubercles and a cream-coloured tail horn, later developing yellow diagonal stripes on its sides and growing to a length of 65 to 85 millimetres (2.6 to 3.3 in). It has a diet of tree leaves such as poplar, willow and aspen. The adult poplar hawkmoth is seen between between May and August and lives for a few weeks as an adult. During this time it does not feed, instead relying on fat built up during the larval stage. This male adult poplar hawkmoth of the subspecies L. p. populi was photographed in Cumnor Hill in Oxfordshire, England.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp