Friend or foe? Pollinator or pest? Or pest controller?

[goingrey]

There's what I think is a big moth that has been hanging out in my greenhouse for a couple of days.

Seems to be staying in one place all day, sleeping I assume. Would be an easy catch. But do I want to do that? Is it actually a little garden buddy that's helping me out in some way? Pollinating my tomatoes or eating some pests...

 

[Cvh]

Personally I don't like moths and butterflies in the garden. They lay eggs which in turn hatch into caterpillars that eats my plants.

 

[goingrey]

Hmm good point. I don't think it's a tomato moth, but I also don't know what it is and what its larvae eat.

 

[@peace]

There's what I think is a big moth that has been hanging out in my greenhouse for a couple of days.

Seems to be staying in one place all day, sleeping I assume. Would be an easy catch. But do I want to do that? Is it actually a little garden buddy that's helping me out in some way? Pollinating my tomatoes or eating some pests...

View attachment 18723423

It is an eyed hawkmoth or a one eyed sphinx. On your phone or computer, if you right click (computer) or click and hold (phone) then you can "search image with google lens" this will open a side bar where you press search again. I use google lens to identify field pests or different weeds, it is pretty cool. To answer your question their larva eat plants, mainly willows, but will eat a variety of plants if they need to. The female is supposed to move very little while waiting for a mate but will start to move once they have mated. I really like most bugs so I would leave it and relocate the larva, but I am biased lol.

 

[goingrey]

It is an eyed hawkmoth or a one eyed sphinx. On your phone or computer, if you right click (computer) or click and hold (phone) then you can "search image with google lens" this will open a side bar where you press search again. I use google lens to identify field pests or different weeds, it is pretty cool. To answer your question their larva eat plants, mainly willows, but will eat a variety of plants if they need to. The female is supposed to move very little while waiting for a mate but will start to move once they have mated. I really like most bugs so I would leave it and relocate the larva, but I am biased lol.

Thanks!

It does look a lot like one of these eyed hawkmoths even those it doesn't really have the "eyes".

If it is a female that only moves after mating, she seems to be getting some every night because every day it's in a different spot.

Good tip on the Google Lens but I'm using a Chinese phone and they don't get along with Google.

 

[buzzmobile]

It looks more like a Lettered Sphinx Moth by the scalloped wing edges.

Lettered Sphinx

Characteristics, Scientific Name, Classification, Taxonomy, Territorial Claims, and pictures of the Lettered-Sphinx-Moth (North America)

www.insectidentification.org

 

[goingrey]

It looks a lot like this one eyed sphinx IMO: https://oregoninvasiveshotline.org/reports/detail/69

An there is a big willow tree near the greenhouse..

 

[buzzmobile]

It looks a lot like this one eyed sphinx IMO: https://oregoninvasiveshotline.org/reports/detail/69

An there is a big willow tree near the greenhouse..

Yes