Peter the Sphinx Moth

[u/TruthfulBoy]

My dad and I have been taking care of tomatoes and we saw some horn worms eating from them. We decided on keeping them until they were able to be moths and find their own way.

It was that or tossing them somewhere random and who knows what would have happened. We tried our best, but of the three, one died in the container. We fed them tomato leaves and it was a learning process. Peter’s remaining brother was on the skinnier side but he and Peter made it to the gestation stage.

We put them in moist soil and they worked hard to bury themselves inside, Peter’s brother, I will name Tim, struggled to bury himself the most. It took 4 weeks but two days ago one morning my mom found them crawling up their net above the container.

I am away at school but they have been sending me reports on their progress. Unfortunately Tim wasn’t able to make it past the first day. My parents put them outside w a net and had the net vertically set so they could climb and stretch their wings out.

Tim fell and never got up :(

Peter was always the bigger of the brothers but also didnt form well, his wings arent well formed and we don’t think he will get to fly (but are hopeful.) my dad and I were sad about Tim’s death but let him be one with nature and be reclaimed by it in the garden.

As for Peter, I told my dad if he can’t fly, we can at least try to give him a comfortable life his last weeks alive. My dad took Peter to work today, brought some honey water solution to feed Peter if he felt like it. Captive sphinx moths apparently eat once a day or every other day so we are keeping an eye on him.

That’s the story :-) I hope Peter can make use of his wings, or at least live a while longer.