Oleander Hawk-Moth

July 3rd, 2009
by Krishna Mohan
Oleander Hawk-Moth

Oleander Hawk-Moth

Daphnis nerii or Oleander Hawk-moth is a member of the Sphingidae family, whose members are commonly known as the hummingbird, sphinx or hawk moths. This beautiful and attractive species has a wingspan of 8-12 cm. Its forewings are intricately patterned in gorgeous shades of olive green and marked with small blotches of pink and white, including a pale white apical band on each forewing. The hindwings, on the other hand, are greyish green, with a pale white wavy line. Body is mostly olive green too, with white markings and measures about 5 cm from head to tail.

Oleander Hawk-Moth Side Profile

Oleander Hawk-Moth Side Profile

I found this fine specimen at the yesterday evening. moth was quite friendly and did not get alarmed by my photography. I had a opportunity to try macro panorama on this which I will post in the next blog post.

EXIF info…
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Exposure Mode: Manual exposure
Exposure Time: 1/160 sec.
Exposure Bias: 0.0
Aperture (F Stop): f/13.0
ISO Used: 100
Flash Used: Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance: As Shot
Focal Length: 100.0 mm
Metering Mode: Pattern
Date Time: 2009:07:02 20:54:53
GPS Location in Google Map:
13° 4' 2.1" N, 74° 59' 44.4" E, 634 m.a.s.l.
Copyright © Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Exposure Mode: Manual exposure
Exposure Time: 1/200 sec.
Exposure Bias: 0.0
Aperture (F Stop): f/8.0
ISO Used: 100
Flash Used: Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance: As Shot
Focal Length: 100.0 mm
Metering Mode: Pattern
Date Time: 2009:07:02 23:41:32
GPS Location in Google Map:
13° 4' 2.1" N, 74° 59' 44.4" E, 634 m.a.s.l.
Copyright © Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com

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Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (11)

11 Responses to “Oleander Hawk-Moth”

  1. XkiD | Oleander Hawk-Moth | blog.xkid.ro Says:
    July 3rd, 2009 at 7:36 PM

    [...] post: Oleander Hawk-Moth Posted in News | Tags: camera-model, collection, exposure, exposure-mode, exposure-time, [...]

  2. Oleander Hawk-Moth | Camera Hype Says:
    July 4th, 2009 at 2:06 AM

    [...] View post:  Oleander Hawk-Moth [...]

  3. shiva Says:
    July 5th, 2009 at 6:50 PM

    Nice attempt here, macro stitching! I had seen the landscape photos stitch this kind first time for me. thank you for sharing

  4. drkrishi Says:
    July 6th, 2009 at 1:25 PM

    I love to take credit for being inventor of this great art of macro panorama ;) Alas, there are quite few pioneers out there who have done it much before me and have excelled in it. I agree it is not as common as Landscape Panos & HDRs which go to crazy extremes. Earlier it was quite difficult to stich unless you have aligned all the photos and angled the capture well. It has become quite easy now with CS4, soon you might see lot of macro panos around.
    -Krishna Mohan

  5. Metamorphosis | Krishna Mohan Photography Says:
    December 19th, 2009 at 12:20 PM

    [...] I had the great opportunity of photographing this moth earlier which I documented on this website here and here. Defensive [...]

  6. Daphnis minima | Krishna Mohan Photography Says:
    March 8th, 2010 at 7:22 PM

    [...] was brownish all over instead of the bright camouflage green Oleander Hawk-moth had. You can see Oleander Hawk-moth here as well as in my Macro Stitching a Moth post. You can also see its caterpillar at [...]

  7. Eleanor Hjemmet Says:
    July 24th, 2011 at 7:16 PM

    Thank you so much for publishing your photo. This moth appears to be the same kind of moth I have just photographed on my phone camera. I live at 3600 ft. elevation on a mountain in east Tennessee, USA. IF what I have is an Oleander Hawk moth, it is NOT supposed to be here! All I can find online is that it is indigenous to India and migrates to Europe. We are FAR out of that range! I heard it fluttering loudly late at night (after midnight) near my bed and woke to find it on the window jamb. It is the same size as described for the Oleander Hawk moth, body approximately 4.8 mm head to tail. I have not opened it’s wings. Folded the wings measure 7 mm from tip to tip.
    This is fascinating to me, and I will do further research. When I find out how to post the picture from my phone I would be proud to email you a copy for reference. Thank you again for your lovely photograph. This is indeed a very interesting and lovely creature!
    Ellie Hjemmet
    in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee USA

  8. Lorraine Says:
    July 29th, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    Hi i am from Toronto,Ontario Canada
    I took a picture of one in my back yard July 27 2011.
    It was about the size of my hand.
    lime green and looks just like the picture.
    In the beautiful beaches of Toronto.
    I dont think this moth is suppose to be here either. But it is.
    What a wonderful moth.

  9. Krishna Mohan Says:
    July 29th, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    Dear Lorraine,
    Thanks for visiting my site. Oleander hawk Moth does not exist in Canada, but there are other hawk moths which are similar to this. Check out this nice site on moths of Canada. Here is the link for the Bombycoidea Family of moths from Canada http://www.cbif.gc.ca/spp_pages/misc_moths/phps/bom_e.php
    Keep coming back
    Regards
    Krishna mohan

  10. Krishna Mohan Says:
    July 29th, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    Dear Ellie Hjemmet,
    I have read a lot about Great Valley and I wish to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest at least once in my life time. Good to hear from somebody so far off. You may not have Oleander Hawk moth there but cousins of that moth do exist in your region. Check this web page for extensive list of hawk moths of USA – http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy/Sphingidae
    Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. Keep coming back
    Regards
    Krishna mohan

  11. Eleanor Hjemmet Says:
    July 29th, 2011 at 9:54 PM

    Thanks for your kind response and the helpful link! My Peterson Guide to Insects does NOT have this moth! Nor two other smaller books I own. I did get in touch with an entymologist who had spoken at a Wildlife event I attended here at the beautiful Roan Mountain State Park. He linked me to great photos of Eumorpha Pandorus… which was indeed the very moth I had. My concern was not to keep it so long in the house that it died! SO my heart was happy when I could set her free! The variety does indeed seem to be a very close cousin! No “eye spots” on the upper wings. I was amazed to see how the wing pattern on my moth was identical to photos of the Pandora Sphynx. When I found YOUR lovely photographs I thought there was variation in moth patterns as we see in snake pattern, but apparently NOT! Thanks again. I love your photographs. It was a fun journey of learning!

    With all best wishes,
    Ellie Hjemmet

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