![]() Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.The largest of the Dagger Moths at over 50 mm (2 inches) in length, the American Dagger Moth is found east of the Rocky Mountains. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. This is one of the great wonders of living in the desert the rancher who sent me the photos lived here their whole life and this is the first time they have seen them in such numbers. So expect to see lots of sphinx moths in the near future or, we don’t know this late in the season, they may burrow in the soil and over winter to next spring and emerge as moths then. These insects are not harmful, and represent wildlife that is extremely important to the success and survival of the Sonoran Desert. Nature is a wonder always if one can just rekindle the interest and enthusiasm for all kinds of life. Enjoy, don't fear, this fantastic display by the insects. These moths are some of the most important pollinators of desert plants here in Eddy County. They dip this tongue into the nectaries and drink the sweet fluids. The moths have a long tongue (proboscis) coiled beneath the head that unfurls when they approach a plant. These moths are seen both day and night hovering around many of our desert plants, especially four o'clocks and desert willows here in Eddy County, where they appear like a multitude of hummingbirds. The moths have a very streamlined look, with forewings gray with various white stripes and bands breaking up the outline, and with smaller hind wings that are dominated by pink. The adult moths also present an interesting sight. It is random distribution, the luck of the draw! It may seem whimsical, but the patterns of use may have real but undetected characteristics. Do they pick the same area year after year? It doesn't seem to be that way, probably because plant communities change year to year and the adults may go to another food source to lay eggs, and thus the caterpillars will be in a new place next time. Why do these caterpillars pick a certain area? Good question for which we have no answer. These caterpillars have fed on a multitude of plants found in the desert, and when they do wander into a residential neighborhood, they may feed a bit on landscape plants, but will have little effect on those plants. As the monsoon season draws to a close, we start to notice in different desert regions a massive movement of caterpillars. In Eddy County, we do not know how many generations may occur in a year, but it is typically the July-August brood of caterpillars that are most noticed. Also when one learns the nutritional value of insects, they serve many peoples better than fast foods of today. It is quite interesting to now learn that the Tohono Oodham, a native American tribe in Arizona many years ago, would harvest these larvae, dry and braid them and use them for food. These caterpillars are not poisonous, but if too many were eaten one might get an upset stomach. This horn is flexible and sometimes brightly colored but it is NOT a stinger. Each caterpillar has a posterior horn as decoration. The caterpillars have many color forms, from a bright yellow-green with black spots or stripes on the back, to almost entirely black with only glimpses of yellow breaking up the black. This moth must first develop as a caterpillar, which is the major feeding form. This insect is scientifically classified as Hyles lineata, white lined sphinx moth, a species in the order Lepidoptera (moths & butterflies) and the family Sphingidae (sphinx moths, hummingbird moths, hornworms). I was sent some photos of a strange striped caterpillar found out in out range land here in Eddy County, and as a cattle grower they wanted to know what they were eating because there were lots of them.
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