Brown Hawker vs Sweetbay Silk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Brown Hawker Sweetbay Silk Moth
Scientific Name Aeshna grandis Callosamia securifera
Order Odonata Lepidoptera
Family Aeshnidae Saturniidae
Size 70-77 mm 80-105 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Wetlands
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia Southeastern United States coastal plain
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Brown Hawker

A large dragonfly entirely brown with amber-tinted wings, unique among European hawkers. Its warm brown coloring makes it unmistakable in flight.

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Did You Know?

It is the only large European dragonfly that is entirely brown with bronze-tinted wings.

Sweetbay Silk Moth

A large silk moth similar to the promethea but associated with sweetbay magnolia in the southeastern United States. Males are dark brown-black and females are reddish-brown.

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Did You Know?

The sweetbay silk moth is so closely tied to wetland habitats that its distribution precisely mirrors that of sweetbay magnolia swamps along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.