大象传媒

A few weeks ago Paul and Sue Dawson discovered the rare Death's Head Hawk Moth Caterpillar, featured in the Silence of the Lambs horror film, in their garden in Rayne.听

Since then the caterpillar first pupated into it's chrysalis stage, and just a few days ago it hatched into a beautiful moth with a five inch wingspan.

Sue discovered the moth had hatched out whilst her husband was away.

The chrysalis stage

"I went in the lounge and I noticed it wasn't there anymore," said Sue.听 "It had hatched out and there was like a white larva.听 I panicked really, because I don't know what to do.听 I looked for it and couldn't find it."

The moth was discovered days later when the tell-tale signs could be seen on the ceiling where it had been flying around and left little black marks.听 The moth was on the curtain.

As David Allen from the Essex Moth group explained:听 "It's very rare, you don't get more than one a year, if you're lucky."

Named after the characteristic skull and crossbones on its back, the Death's Head Hawk Moth is one of the largest ever found in the UK and is rarely seen here.

大象传媒 Essex's Renee Hockley-Byam went to meet Sue, and David Allen from the Essex Moth Group, and see the moth for herself.听 Sue explained how at first they couldn't find the moth.