Bug FAQOleander Hawkmoth
Daphnis nerii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
Also called: Army Green Moth, Oleander Hawk Moth
The Oleander hawk-moth is a large migratory moth found across Africa, Asia and parts of Europe in summer. Its caterpillars eat oleander leaves and are immune to the plant’s toxins, while adults sip nectar from many flowers. The larva turns brown before forming a light-brown pupa about 5 to 7 cm long, which later emerges as the adult.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The moth’s thorax is green with a grey-outlined collar and a triangular grey patch on the head.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Fully grown caterpillars are roughly 7 to 8 cm long, and the pupa measures about 5.5 to 7.5 cm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It migrates to southern and eastern Europe in summer, occasionally reaching western Europe, Scotland and Finland.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on nectar from many flower species. Caterpillars feed mainly on oleander leaves, a toxic plant they can tolerate.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Just before pupating, the larva becomes brown in colour.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are most active at dusk, hovering over flowers after sunset.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to wide regions of Africa, Asia and Hawaii.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
A similar species, Daphnis hypothous, occurs in South and Southeast Asia and has a white spot at the forewing tip.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Hawaii, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
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/Daphnis_nerii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.