SPHINX MOTHS #4: SMALL-EYED, BLINDED, & TWIN-SPOTTED SPHINX
A Small-Eyed Sphinx moth, found at Cox Arboretum on August 1, 2017.
This is another Blinded Sphinx with its wings spread. These moths have beautiful eyespots on their hindwings. I have found a few individuals at my UV lights from June through August.
Twin-spotted Sphinx, photographed May 26, 2020, at Spring Lakes Park in Bellbrook. I was looking for dragonflies one day, when to my surprise, I found this beautiful sphinx moth resting right by the edge of the water. This is the only Twin-spotted Sphinx I have seen. Notice how the blue eyespot is divided by a black line, forming a figure 8 shape.
Another Blinded Sphinx moth. Some individuals have extensive amounts of lavender-purple shading on their wings.
Another Small-Eyed Sphinx moth, found at my black lights.
Small-Eyed Sphinx moth. I find these moths at my lights from May through early August. They have beautiful golden highlights on lavender-gray wings.
Small-Eyed Sphinx moths have beautiful eyespots on their hindwings. These spots are usually not visible when the moth is at rest, but this individual was being very cooperative!
This is a Blinded Sphinx moth. Very similar to the Small-Eyed Sphinx moths above, but note that this Blinded Sphinx has a dark, violin-shaped mark on its head. (A Small-Eyed Sphinx would have a golden stripe on its head, and golden highlights at the corners of the wings, which are lacking here.)
