The large, beautiful caterpillar larvae of the elephant hawk
moth has two pairs of eye markings, which are made even more
prominent when it withdraws its head into its body. They are,
typically, a blackish-brown colour but are sometimes green, and
though their 'eyes' make them look quite dramatic, they are
completely harmless. However, they can strip a fuchsia of its
leaves at night. Active from mid- to late-summer, they can be
found hiding during the day on the undersides of leaves. Thick,
8cm-long, nocturnal caterpillars strip the leaves off fuchsias
during the second half of summer. They hide under the leaves
during the day. Keep a constant lookout, particularly at dusk,
for the caterpillars and pick them off, moving them to a clump
of wildflowers such as rosebay willowherb or marsh bedstraw. Do
not kill them because they go on to form one of the UK's most
beautiful moth residents. If leaf damage is minimal, action
isn't necessary.