Hyles gallii

Hyles gallii, the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

Hyles gallii is present in North America, in Europe to the Arctic Circle, in Central Asia and in Japan.

The Bedstraw Hawk-Moth - Fore wings olive brown, with a broad, irregular, whitish stripe along the middle; hind wings black at the base; then a broad pinkish-white band, quite white near the body, and bright pink about the middle; then a distinct black band, and then a grey margin; thorax and body olive-brown, a white line on each side of the thorax just at the base of the wings; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye; sides of the body with black and whitish spots.

The caterpillar is smooth, bluish-green above, inclining to pink beneath, sometimes brown and sometimes black, but always having a pale, almost yellow, line down the middle of the back, and a row of ten conspicuous eye-like yellow spots, on each side; the head is green, brown, or black, according to the colour of the caterpillar, but the horn above the tail is invariably red.

This species prefers sandy or calcareous places, sunny heath, plantations, warm forest edges and wherever else it could find the host plants.

Late stage caterpillar
A video of a Hyles gallii . The video can also be watched in lower resolution .
Habitat of Hyles gallii . La Thuile , Italy at about 2700 meters above sea level