Yellow-banded day sphinx facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow-banded day sphinx |
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The yellow-banded day sphinx (scientific name: Proserpinus flavofasciata) is a special kind of hawk moth. It's known for flying during the day, which is unusual for many moths! You can find these moths in Canada and parts of the United States. They live in and around boreal and mountain forests.
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What Does the Yellow-Banded Day Sphinx Look Like?
The adult yellow-banded day sphinx moth looks a lot like a bumblebee. This is a clever trick called mimicry. It helps the moth stay safe from predators who might think it can sting! The moth has a plump black body with bright yellow marks.
Its front wings are black with a light-colored band across them. The back wings are also black, but they have a very noticeable yellow band. These moths usually fly around in the late spring and early summer.
Life Cycle of the Yellow-Banded Day Sphinx
The yellow-banded day sphinx moth goes through a few different stages in its life. It starts as an egg, then hatches into a larva (a caterpillar). The larva grows by shedding its skin several times. Each time it sheds, it enters a new stage called an instar.
The young caterpillars are pale green. They have two light stripes along their sides. They also have a short horn at their tail end. But as they grow bigger, they change a lot!
The last stage of the caterpillar looks very different. It turns brown and has black spots all over. At this point, the horn on its tail is gone. Instead, it has a black button with a white edge.
These caterpillars like to eat leaves from plants like Epilobium and Rubus species. One of their favorite foods is the thimbleberry, also known as Rubus parviflorus.
When winter comes, the caterpillar changes into a pupa. This is like a resting stage. The pupa hides in the soil until spring. Then, it transforms into an adult moth, and the whole life cycle starts again!
Where Do Yellow-Banded Day Sphinx Moths Live?
These moths live in the northern parts of North America. You can find them all across Canada. In the United States, they live as far south as Maine and Massachusetts in the east. They also live as far north as Alaska in the west. They are much more common in the western parts of their range. They prefer to live at the edges of forests and in clearings within boreal and mountain forests.
Images for kids
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Top view of the yellow-banded day sphinx moth
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Bottom view of the yellow-banded day sphinx moth
