Sphinx (Hummingbird) Moth

My Home: I am found throughout
the United States and Canada.
I primarily hide during the day
and emerge at dusk or during the
early morning hours.

What I eat: As a caterpillar, I eat the leaves
and stems of plants. As an adult moth, I
drink nectar from flowers. I will go from flower
to flower hovering over them and I am often
confused with the hummingbird.

What I look like: As a caterpillar, I am green and
have a pointed 'horn' on my rear end. As an adult
moth, I have a long narrow set of front wings and a
shorter set of back wings. My wingspan can be 2 to 8
inches from tip to tip.

How I am born: I will go through four stages of development:
egg, caterpillar, pupa (cocoon), and adult. Females lay as many
as 1,000 eggs on leaves. My egg will hatch in two to three days into a caterpillar. I will eat and grow bigger for about three weeks. Then I will go down into the ground to pupate, which is similar to a butterfly making a cocoon. In about two weeks I will emerge directly from the ground as an adult moth. It takes me about six weeks to go from egg to adult moth.