Pandorus Sphinx Eumorpha pandorus

Sphinx moths are the hummingbirds of the insect world, hovering in place to feed from deep flowers using a long, coiled proboscis, and this large North American species does it in spectacular style with olive-green and pink markings that look almost tropical. But the caterpillar steals the show: when threatened, it rears up and inflates the front of its body to reveal enormous false eyespots, mimicking a snake or frog head with startling effect. The adult is a powerful dusk-and-dawn flier, large enough that first-time spotters regularly mistake it for a small bird. One of the most dramatic moths you are likely to encounter east of the Rockies.