A Gaura Sphinx

I came across this dude back in early September, the 8th to be exact. Do you see it in the first picture? It’s kinda hard to miss and I saw it easily from a distance, as I approached. Stuck out like a sore thumb really -

This is a Proud Sphinx caterpillar, also know as a Guara sphinx, which apparently is a fairly uncommon moth in East Tennessee! Their documented range extends from Texas eastward and north to Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. So, this was a somewhat rare find in these here parts.

Outside of taking these pics I didn’t fuss with it too much or for too long, as I didn’t want to interrupt its feeding, which is sadly ironic because…

The plant this dude was feeding on is called Gaura and there were oodles of this plant all along this one stretch of the walking trails; the area that abuts Moon Creek. They sat back approximately five or six feet from the trail, just outside of the lawn mowers reach so they were left alone and grew quite tall.

Sadly, the day after I took these pics, the 9th of September, whomever maintains the walking trail drove the entire two mile trail using a bush-hog and cut ALL the brush along the trail down completely, some 15 feet back, which included the area where the Guava had been growing and thriving, and where this dude had been dining, alas.

I’m guess this dude fell victim to the bush-hog, as did the Carolina mantis, see below, and many other insects I spied the day prior -

If it’s any consolation the walking trail looks greats and is opened up more now that all the over growth had been cut back but to what end?