Spread Those Wings
This is an Achemon sphinx moth (Eumorpha achemon) that I relocated from work. It was very chill for the photos and allowed me to get as close as I wanted and even flexed those pink wings for me.
Apart from having such interesting colors, they are pretty large – having around an 8-9 centimeter (3-3.5 inch) wingspan.
This one had its left antenna tucked under the wing, making me think it was broken off – so I avoided shooting from that angle. After shooting and releasing it, it unfolded both antenna in perfect condition. Most of the moths I remove from work are damaged in some way. This moth was in great shape.
They are in the order of Lepidoptera (I think all moths and butterflies are), which translates from ancient Greek to “scale wing”. If you look closely at the wing photos, it becomes very apparent why they have this name.
