Northern Ireland braces for invasion of giant moths

Giant elephant hawk-moths -- large furry fliers that can pack quite a punch if they fly into you -- are descending on Northern Ireland, entomologists say. They're not taking wing just yet, though; their huge caterpillars are showing up in gardens and patios everywhere but won't transform into adult moths until next summer, researchers with Britain's Butterfly Conservation organization said. Six sightings have been reported in the past three days of the caterpillars, which resemble an elephant's trunk with eye-spots, they said. A large number of migratory moths and butterflies have made the long journey from the European continent this summer drawn by unusually warm weather. They include an equally large cousin of the elephant hawk-moth, the hummingbird hawk-moth, which flies in the sunshine and hovers in front of flowers, sipping nectar with its long proboscis, very much like the hummingbird from which it takes its name. Both species have wingspans of around 2 inches or even slightly larger. "This is the lovely thing about migrants -- you don't have to be a scientist to see them," Butterfly Conservation spokeswoman Catherine Bertrand said. "They can turn up anywhere, even your garden."