Great ash sphinx
Sphinx chersis (Hübner, 1823)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Forewing is soft dark gray to blue-gray with a series of black dashes, one of which reaches the wing tip. Hindwing is black with blurry pale gray bands.
Wing Span: 3 9/16 - 5 1/8 inches (9 - 13 cm).
Life History: Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in burrows in the soil. Caterpillars from the second generation pupate and overwinter in their burrows.
Flight: . Two broods in the south from May-June and from July-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: A variety of plants including lilac (Syringa vulgaris), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), ash (Fraxinus), and privet (Ligustrum).
Adult Food: Deep-throated flowers such as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis), dogbane (Apocynum), and evening primrose (Onagraceae).
Habitat: A wide variety of woodlands and arid western scrublands.
Range: Mexico north through most of the United States, but rare in the Gulf States.
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 49 - 72 of 476 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 06, 2016
Submitted by: BaylorBear
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2014
Submitted by: SherryBenMom
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2014
Submitted by: Burtoni
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 31, 2022
Observation date: Nov 02, 2015
Submitted by: winchris
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 31, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2015
Submitted by: bboultinghouse
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2015
Submitted by: WillQuaas
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 29, 2022
Observation date: Jul 11, 2014
Submitted by: Sherryo
Region: Midland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 28, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2014
Submitted by: Parka
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 26, 2022
Observation date: Oct 27, 2012
Submitted by: teamawesomeness
Region: Carson City County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 19, 2022
Observation date: Sep 14, 2017
Submitted by: BruceMissen
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2011
Submitted by: drmonson
Region: Blaine County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 16, 2022
Observation date: Oct 06, 2019
Submitted by: EleanorR
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jan 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2017
Submitted by: Bandor
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jan 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: Slowpie
Region: Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Dec 27, 2021
Observation date: Sep 09, 2017
Submitted by: Hhouston415
Region: Columbia County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Dec 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 29, 2021
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 17, 2021
Observation date: Oct 22, 2015
Submitted by: Dour Yadevia
Region: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Nov 23, 2021
Observation date: Jul 22, 2012
Submitted by: stephg1016
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Nov 21, 2021
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: Eorbay91
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 12, 2021
Observation date: Sep 11, 2019
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 31, 2017
Submitted by: Nathaniel Young
Region: Jefferson County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Harrison
Region: Saratoga County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 25, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: anovati
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Oct 04, 2016
Submitted by: oracleofthewest1232
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
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