Bug FAQVashti Sphinx
Sphinx vashti · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
Also called: Snowberry Sphinx, Vashti Sphinx Moth
The Sphinx vashti shows great variation in wing pattern and length. Its forewings range from pale to dark gray with distinctive black dashes, and the hindwing is black with white bands. It lives across western North America, from British Columbia to Texas, and its larvae feed on snowberry and coralberry.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wing pattern and length are highly variable in this species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one brood per year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers the same western North American region, from British Columbia to Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, Colorado, California, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Oregon.
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 do the larvae of Vashti Sphinx eat?
The caterpillars feed on snowberry and coralberry plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does Vashti Sphinx have each year?
It produces a single brood annually.
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/Sphinx_vashti
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.