Bug FAQModest Sphinx
Pachysphinx modesta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
Also called: Big Poplar Sphinx, Big Poplar Sphinx Moth, Modest Sphinx Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The modest sphinx is a moth in the hawk-moth family. It lives from the southern United States up through Canada. In the north it has one generation with adults flying from May to July; farther south it may have two generations.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Pachysphinx modesta is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs across the southern United States and throughout Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat leaves of poplar, willow and cottonwood trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In northern areas there is one generation with adults on wing from May to July; in southern areas there may be two generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In Canada adults are active from mid-June to mid-July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the southern United States up through Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is a moth of the family Sphingidae, also called the modest sphinx or poplar sphinx.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 46 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, Wisconsin, New York, New Hampshire, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do modest sphinx caterpillars eat?
They feed on the leaves of poplar, willow and cottonwood trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does the modest sphinx have?
In the north there is one generation per year; farther south there can be two generations.
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/Pachysphinx_modesta
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.