When I was little, we lived with my grandparents and later, when my parents had a place of their own, I spent most of the summer holidays with them. If I wasn’t staying over, my nan would collect me in the morning and take me all the way back at the end of the day. Their stamp-sized front garden was bordered by a pungent, green privet hedge.
I remember one very hot, dusty summer, I must have been five or six years old. Some houses had been demolished at the end of the road a year or so previously, and the site was covered with weeds. I loved the pretty flowers, but the residents resented the intruders. We were passing the fence when I spotted it, a strange creature, much like an alien, with a plump green caterpillar body about three inches long and a strange stinger at the end. My nan picked it up and put it in a large matchbox which she’d found lying nearby, possibly thrown away by a workman on the site.
The next day, I was surprised to see the matchbox on my nan’s dining table. Granddad was getting ready for work by the time I arrived, but he wasn’t ready to leave yet. I asked him what the creature was, and he told me it was a privet hawk moth caterpillar. He put it into his pocket to show the caterpillar to his workmates. Despite searching my grandparent’s front hedge, I’ve never seen one since.
the strangest creatures
revealed in leafy sunshine
beautiful surprise
Kim M. Russell, 30th September 2019
This Monday I’m hosting the haibun prompt at the dVerse Poets Pub, where we are writing about an encounter with an insect: it can be a beautiful or a scary experience, an enlightening or a surprising one; it can be about an ordinary or an unusual insect.
As usual we aim to write no more than three tight paragraphs about an encounter with an insect, followed by a traditional haiku that includes reference to the season.
writing in north norfolk 
I have never seen such a strange creature… some other caterpillars can be pretty weird but this one was so very different… that stinger looks like it can hurt you.
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I seem to remember, when I was a child, believing it was poisonous, but I don’t think it is. It just uses it to hold on to privet leaves and branches.
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Wow- amazing encounter Kim. I have never seen one of these before. It looks like it could do some damage!
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My grandmother told me not to touch it, but I think the only damage it can do is to privet hedges!
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Incredible tale. Unless one was an insect expert, I doubt that many of us have heard of this bug. Nice sense of time and place, rocking the prompt.
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Cheers Glenn. I remembered it as being much larger than they actually are – the eyes of a child magnify everything! They are, in fact, the UK;s largest hawk moth with a 9-12 cm wingspan, and the caterpillar grows to 8.5 cm in length. They come from the same family as the death head hawk moth.
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What a great looking caterpillar. I used to peel privet twigs – very satisfying – but I never had an encounter like this. I love the details about your grandparents.
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Thank you, Sarah. I love writing about them – it brings them back to life for a short while.
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I bet a bird would think twice about swallowing that hook! It must have been unusual or grandparents wouldn’t have captured it to show around.
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They are quite common in the south of England but it’s the only one I’ve ever seen. The privet hawk-moth is a resident species and can be seen in parks and gardens wherever the food plant occurs throughout Norfolk, the county in which I live. It overwinters as a pupa 30cm or more underground.
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That’s really interesting about how it overwinters deep underground. Insects are fascinating beings that often get discounted as simply creepy.
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That is a very cool Caterpillar! Interesting that you did not find another one! Great Haibun!
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Thanks Dwight!
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Fascinating Haibun Kim. Great photo of a creature I’ve never seen before.
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Thanks Rob.
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Enjoyed reading your memories of time spent with your grandparents, Kim, and finding this cool caterpillar!
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Thank you, Lynn!
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I can see why you remember this so vividly–what a strange creature! And it’s wonderful that’s it’s tied up with memories of your grandparents. (K)
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In my child’s head, I remembered it has having a mouse=head with a big, brown eye! But I know it didn’t. 🙂
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How wonderful! I had the pleasure of seeing a hummingbird moth a couple of years ago and have never seen one since. The image does stick with you. Wonderful!
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Thank you, Sascha!
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What a great memory! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Hawk Moth Caterpillar. It’s beautiful 🙂
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Thank you, Christine!
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I’ve seen a hawk moth but never in caterpillar form. Enjoyed reading about your encounter.
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Thank you, Misky.
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Memories are true jewels as is this poem 🙂
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Thank you, Margaret! 🙂
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