White-lined Sphinx Moth invasion

I saw millions (well, I saw hundreds, maybe over a thousand, but can extrapolate that there were millions) of Hyles lineata larvae consuming just about everything in sight between Camp Creek and Seven Springs on Friday. Here's the list of what I witnessed them consuming:

Funastrum cynanchoides hartwegii
Ayenia filiformis
Mentzelia multiflora (with fatal results)
Quercus turbinella - new growth only
Rhus aromatica
Portulaca oleracea (tons of this non-native in the area, all stripped bare - an ice cream plant for Hyles lineata)
Portulaca suffrutescens (also a host of Euscirrhopterus gloveri)
Boerhavia intermedia
Ipomoea cristulata
Krameria erecta
Eriogonum wrightii
Mimosa aculeaticarpa biuncifera

In looking into the dietary habits of the species I ran into a database of Lepidopteran hostplants, a new tool in my arsenal of links. A search of food plants for Hyles lineata results in 41 taxa, to which can be added many of those listed above. Voracious little critters.

Posted on Σεπτέμβριος 03, 2018 0318 ΠΜ by stevejones