July 22, 2026
With a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches, this is a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth (Darapsa myron). It’s found from Maine, south to southern Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.
Their caterpillars have a large, creepy look about them, but they are non-venomous and safe to handle if you do that sort of thing. They are an excellent food source for native birds, and are often parasitized by helpful garden wasps. But these caterpillars are a problem for vineyards that are not yet well established, voraciously defoliating the moths’ host plants of wild and cultivated grapes, and Virginia creeper.
As adults they are beneficial pollinators, visiting flowers at dusk and dawn.
And the adults are mighty cool looking.
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