Big poplar sphinx
Pachysphinx occidentalis (Hy. Edwards, 1875)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Two color forms exist. Upperside of wings is yellow brown in the pale form, dark gray in the dark form. Lines and bands are well-defined. Hindwing has a crimson patch covering varying amounts of the wing, and 2 dark lines which do not form a distinct triangle.
Wing Span: 5 1/8 - 5 7/8 inches (13 - 15 cm).
Life History: Females lay eggs on leaves of the hosts. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in shallow burrows in the ground.
Flight: . Two broods in southern Arizona from May-September, one brood northward from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Cottonwood and poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Riparian areas and suburbs.
Range: North Dakota west to eastern Washington; south to Texas, southern California, and Baja California Norte.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 282 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 31, 2024
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Deschutes County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2024
Submitted by: AshleyV
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: Ptabet
Region: Washoe County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 17, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: Kollibri Sonnenblume
Region: Pershing County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 03, 2023
Submitted by: CarrieTurk76
Region: Umatilla County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 10, 2023
Observation date: Aug 04, 2014
Submitted by: jim.odonater
Region: Grant County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Jul 30, 2018
Submitted by: Kmt44412701
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: May 04, 2017
Submitted by: caelenz
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Jun 14, 2018
Submitted by: johngalt1962
Region: San Juan County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: cfkeller
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: cfkeller
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Apr 19, 2014
Submitted by: vguzman
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Aug 03, 2021
Submitted by: Arizhel
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 08, 2017
Submitted by: Jwmoede
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: SierraDoodle2
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Aug 09, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: Heyyo
Region: Lyon County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 21, 2023
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 26, 2022
Observation date: Sep 07, 2022
Submitted by: Djhaenel
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
Observation date: Jun 28, 2022
Submitted by: Laylurss
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Moffat County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Slmantovani85
Region: Lake County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: RadRae
Region: Oscoda County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 21, 2022
Observation date: Nov 01, 2018
Submitted by: DanaDilbert
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2015
Submitted by: tynkerfly
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 25, 2022
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