Two very dramatic Hawk-moth larvae doing what they are good at! Eating.
The first, an Elephant Hawk-moth larva, is feeding on Fuchsia leaves in someone's garden - look for the close-up of the jaws or mandibles biting the leaves. The second is the impressive Death's-Head Hawk-moth which feeds on potato - it is a rare migrant to the UK.
The egg hatches
The egg hatches into a tiny larva, the first of several stages or 'instars'. The first meal the larva has is usually the eggshell.
This stunning photo shows the tiny larva of Privet Hawk-moth just about to hatch out of its egg. You can see the jaws that it will use to chew its way out. Notice also that the caterpillar inside the egg is a bit hairy but these hairs will soon vanish.Photo: John Bebbington FRPS
Here you can see a Privet Hawk-moth larva at a later stage in its development.
Most larvae then feed on green leaves, but some moths eat other materials - e.g. the wax in bee hives, the hair and other debris in owl pellets, lichens, wood in living or dead trees, roots, fruits, seeds, nuts, flowers. Very few species of moths have larvae which eat clothes (probably fewer than six)!
You can download a useful diagram of the life-cycle of the Large White Butterfly with a detailed anatomy of the larva - here.
Butterfly and Moth larvae are eating machines, they do not travel very far, they simply eat and grow (and try to avoid being eaten!).
The Caterpillar's mandibles do the chewing, while the maxillary palps and very short antennae are for feeling and tasting. The eyes are simple unlike the compound eyes that the adult butterflies and moths have.
On the left is a close-up of the head of a Privet Hawk-moth larva showing very clearly its legs and mouthparts including the tiny palps (simple feelers).On the right the photo shows the larva of a Brimstone butterfly on Alder Buckthorn. See how the caterpillar has eaten the leaf from the tip back.
The larvae of Tiger Moths are very hairy - look at this Garden Tiger. Cuckoos are thought to be the only birds that can cope with this hairy defence. Some people have skin which is sensitive to these hairs - it is recommended that you pick up these caterpillars on a leaf or paper rather than with your fingers. Another interesting point about the larva in the photo is that it is eating Horsetail leaves - these are known to be pretty hard to chew.
For some excellent images of Butterfly and Moth eggs, larvae and pupae, visit this page on the UKleps website.
For further information about the life-cycles of Moths, go to The Lives of Moths.
There is a fantastic range of colours, shapes and sizes in the larvae of moths and butterflies. Below is a gallery of images to give you an ideas of this.
Gallery of Butterfly and Moth caterpillars
Click on the first image to enlarge it and scroll through the photos by hovering the mouse over each image and clicking on the 'next' button that will appear on the right hand side of it.
