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.
