It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally finished my drawing of the Elephant Hawk-moth [Deilephila elpenor]. A groovier moth you couldn’t find! I absolutely love the ‘1970s vibe’ of the Elephant Hawk-moth. The colours in particular appeal to my sense of nostalgia! I used my trusty Derwent Artist’s (lightfast) coloured pencils, the ones I got for my 18th birthday. (My Magenta and Brown Ochre pencils are now noticeably stubby!)

My continuing healing from my corneal transplant means that this has taken a lot longer to complete than I’d’ve liked. Vision is still seriously restricted in that eye (i.e. pants!). So I’m still a bit of a frowny, squinting cyclops. If I’ve worn my lenses to visit my Dad in the morning (he’s now in a care/ nursing home) then I can’t wear them in the afternoon/ evening to draw…

Drawing

When it comes to detailed drawing, I need:

– my lenses in (both a soft and a hard in my left ‘better’ eye)
– my reading glasses on (I believe it’s an ‘age thing’)
– and a magnifying glass!

…as well as good lighting. I have pinched the olde anglepoise lamp from my folks’ attic!

Only having two-to-a-few hours of decent vision a day certainly ekes out the creativity…

Distraction

It has been really good to have a distraction – a purpose – as my dad is taking his time to settle into the home. No surprise there; he’s lived with my mum for over 50 years, in the same house for over 40. Combined with advancing Parkinson’s, cognitive degeneration and a 3-month stint in hospital, he has had a lot of major adjustments forced upon him.

You can imagine the worry.

My mum is coping admirably with her own health issues, not least recent multiple tooth extractions. So along with the time constraints of half-decent vision, appointments have been taking up time-time along with head-time.

So, a wee break to do a bit of research is just the ticket!

Demi-disquisition

When you think about it – it is amazing that the beautiful Elephant Hawk-moth is found in Scotland! It seems better suited to more tropical climes. And it makes me wonder why a nocturnal moth should be so colourfully marked… Perhaps it is in fact a daytime camouflage strategy, as a main food plant of the caterpillar is the mauvish willow-herb. The adults also feed on the nectar of tubular flowers like fuscia, honeysuckle and Himalayan balsam.

I can’t imagine anything much better – a glimpse of an Elephant Hawk-moth feeding on the fragrant flowers of honeysuckle on a warm summer evening!

It was the morning after one of those idyllic nights that I saw my first Elephant Hawk-moth, at a local ‘Moth Night’. Enthusiastic experts set moth traps at night and invite others to join them in the Christmas-morning-esque fest of finding out what has been caught overnight. With a strong ethos of conservation/ research and thought for the moths, they are recorded then returned to the same place they were found. No moths are harmed in the process.

I believe the ‘elephant’ element of the name comes from the caterpillar, a distinctive, large trunk-like larvae. It can grow up to 8cm long. The adult itself is a large moth, with a wingspan of 6 to 7cm. Impressive!

Keep your eyes peeled in the garden on warm summer nights. A most beautiful moth, and a real joy to draw!

Thank you Gerry at Vintage on the Nith in Glencaple for your inspiration, patience and support!

Look out for my portfolio post of the Elephant Hawk-moth, coming soon, with some ‘installments’ of my drawing in progress.