Bug FAQHagen's Sphinx
Ceratomia hageni · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
Also called: Hagen's Sphinx Moth, Osage Orange Sphinx Moth
The adult has many colors and its forewings are gray-green with wavy lines, while the hindwings are a browner gray with lighter edges. It feeds only on Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) and takes about four weeks from egg to pupation, burrowing into the ground for the final stage.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewing is gray-green with many wavy lines, a pattern shared with other Ceratomia species.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults display a variety of colors that become apparent when examined closely. Forewings are gray-green with wavy lines; hindwings are a browner gray with lighter margins.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
When multiple broods occur, pupae will emerge in about two weeks, or later in cooler climates.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Hagen's sphinx feeds exclusively on the leaves of Osage orange (Maclura pomifera).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
From egg laying to pupation takes roughly four weeks. After the fifth and final larval stage, the caterpillar burrows underground to pupate.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its forewing pattern resembles that of other Ceratomia moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plant does Hagen's sphinx eat?
It feeds only on Osage orange (Maclura pomifera).
Source: Wikipedia
How long does it take to develop from egg to pupa?
The development from egg to pupation takes about four weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sphingidae)
White-lined SphinxHyles lineataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Eurasian Hummingbird HawkmothMacroglossum stellatarum
Snowberry ClearwingHemaris diffinis
Carolina SphinxManduca sextaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Hummingbird ClearwingHemaris thysbeDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elephant HawkmothDeilephila elpenorSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratomia_hageni
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.