This marker on the Cambridge Butterfly Trail is at the Cherry Hinton chalk pits – see the map above.

The Elephant hawk-moth is a dazzling and distinctive UK species, often spotted at dusk from May to August in gardens, woods, hedgerows and dunes. Its satin pink and olive green wings, with striking longitudinal stripes, make it one of our most instantly recognisable moths.

The caterpillar is equally dramatic, up to eight centimetres long, brown or green, with a trunk-like appearance and large eye markings to deter predators by resembling a snake. Caterpillars appear in late summer, often wandering from host plants such as willowherb and fuchsia to pupate underground, emerging the following spring.

Nocturnal adults feed on nectar from honeysuckle and other tubular flowers, hovering like tiny hummingbirds.

Common and widespread, the Elephant hawk-moth’s spectacular colours and bold caterpillar make it a firm favourite for night-time wildlife watchers.

For more information, please visit Butterfly Conservation’s page on this species – Elephant hawk-moth.