Oleander Brazhnik - an exotic guest from the tropics

When creating butterflies, nature used its huge potential of colors and talent of the artist. Oleander brazhnik is one of the most beautiful representatives of its numerous appearance. The butterfly delights with a wealth of colors and a fantasy pattern on the wings. The large night moth is famous for its propensity for migration. It flies huge distances, moving from tropical latitudes to the temperate zone.

View description

Oleander hawthorn (Daphinisnerii) is a butterfly from the family of hawks, numbering more than 1 thousand species. Insects are fond of long journeys. Scientists have not yet figured out the reason for their migration.

Imago (butterfly)

The wingspan of the insect is 100-125 mm. Massive body with a pointed abdomen of a grassy green color. The front wings are long - 45-50 mm, the color is a "marble" pattern of twisting stripes and gradient spots of pink, white and green. Near the inner edge is a large purple spot. The hind wings at the base are dark (black, lilac or brown), at the outer edge they turn green. The two primary colors are separated by a white or yellow band.

The abdomen of the moth is divided into segments by light stripes, on the extreme segments oblique stripes. Antennae light, fusiform. The head is gray or olive. The eyes are large, round, of complex structure. It is noteworthy that the butterfly sees well with minimal lighting.

Hogwash adults are fed on nectar of flowers. They prefer fragrant plants: petunia, honeysuckle, jasmine. In the afternoon, moths sit on trees or shrubs. Activity is shown at dusk. After sunset, butterflies flutter over flowers, suck nectar with their proboscis and pollinate plants.

Interesting fact. During the feeding, the hawk imago hover over the flower, dropping its long proboscis into it. This method has a practical explanation - the petals will not withstand a heavy butterfly.

Larva (caterpillar)

Caterpillars of oleander hawk are light (green) and dark (brown or beige) color. Throughout the body, starting from the fourth segment, a white stripe runs from the side. Near it, on two sides there are many white dots that form a kind of pattern. On the third segment there are two black and blue spots with a white center. They resemble eyes. This is a protective coloration. In front of the enemy, the caterpillar imitates a snake. She hides her head inside the body and inflates the segment with eyes. The horny growth in the back is short and curved, the color is orange. The larva has 5 pairs of legs, and the larvae are red.

Caterpillars feed on the oleander, but do not disdain other plants - grapes, jasmine, periwinkle. At the moment of danger, they take a threatening pose, reminiscent of the Egyptian sphinxes. Thanks to this feature, the name of the subfamily - Sphinxes - appeared.

Interesting fact. The main feed plant for the caterpillars is the oleander. This is a flowering shrub, common in the subtropics. In Russia, an evergreen plant is found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in the Crimea. This is where migrating colonies go.All parts of the plant are toxic to humans, they contain glycosides that affect the functioning of the heart.

In places of migration, moths form temporary colonies. Depending on the timing of the start of the flight and weather conditions, 2-4 generations develop in a new place in a year. Usually the last generation does not have time to go through all stages of development before the onset of cold weather and dies. The following year, the number is restored due to the arrival of new migratory individuals.

Spread

The homeland of oleander hawk is the tropics and subtropics of Africa, the Middle East, India. Butterfly migrates to the south of Europe, to Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan. In some cases, flights are made to Central and Northern Europe. Butterflies were seen in Romania, France, they flew to Finland. In Russia, temporary breeding is observed in the Crimea, on the Azov coast, in the North Caucasus. Krasnodar Territory belongs to the reproductive area. Insects settle in areas of the urban landscape. In Sochi they are noticed in parks, sanatoriums, squares, gardens.

Security measures

Oleander hawk is listed in the regional Red Book of the Smolensk region as a rare species. This is the only representative of tropical insects in Russia. At one time, he was listed in the Red Book of the USSR. Individuals flying to the Smolensk region do not leave offspring. The heat-loving species does not survive in local conditions. Butterflies and caterpillars are prohibited to collect.

In Sochi, on artificial plantings of oleander, insects are able to live and give offspring. Being in the conditions of the city, they are completely dependent on the state of plantings and people's attitudes. When treating shrubs with chemicals and raking fallen leaves, a large number of oleander hawks die.

Breeding

Sexual dimorphism in insects is weakly expressed, males and females differ slightly in size. In the tropics, hawks are polycyclic species that breed several times a year. In the south of Russia, the basis of the population is composed of migrating insects, but even here it succeeds in succeeding up to three generations. In Abkhazia, hawks begin years at the end of May and occur until late autumn. Moths mate at dusk. After fertilization, the female lays eggs on fodder plants. The best option is an oleander, but in its absence a vine, periwinkle, and fragrant tobacco are suitable.

Information. In the Krasnodar Territory, up to 3 generations of hawthorn are replaced, the most numerous occurring in August.

The laying takes several days, the female lays one greenish round egg with a diameter of 1 mm. After 7-10 days, caterpillars hatch. The newborn larva is only 3-4 mm long. She is light yellow, the horn is dark. In the early stages, meals are available around the clock with a short rest break. Young larvae prefer the leaves and flowers of the upper shoots of the oleander. During its development, the caterpillar will change five ages. The larva grows for 2-3 weeks.

Interesting fact. In case of alarm, the small caterpillar stretches and freezes, imitating an oleander leaf.

Before pupation, the fifth-year caterpillar becomes darker. She descends from the oleander bush and arranges a cocoon of debris of leaves. Pupa 50-60 mm in size has a lighter shell than other hawks. It is light red or brown with white. Before the appearance of a young butterfly, 15-20 days pass.

In July, a young butterfly emerges from a cocoon. She awkwardly climbs onto a vertical surface to spread her wings. After birth, they are short, it takes several minutes to bring them to normal. After an intense period of feeding, females and males mate again. The following pupae appear closer to autumn; some caterpillars do not have time to pupate before the cold. But the cocoon, which lies almost on the surface of the earth, does not save from frost and predators. The development of the pupa stops when the temperature drops to + 8 °, with negative indicators it dies.

To save the unique creation of nature is possible only by joint efforts.