A couple of years ago I found these huge moths mating on my garden fence. At first I thought they were a couple of dried leaves and almost brushed them off, but at the last moment I saw what they actually were.
You can’t really tell from the photo but they were very large, approximately 10cm as I recall (around 4 inches) each. Does anyone know what they are and if they are a friend or foe to the gardener?
Maybe the dog is just really small and that makes the moths seem so large. 
but wow they’re beautiful.
Hi Kim, you could check out iNaturalist. There is an app for it and you can post your photo and someone will tell you what it is.
I have iNaturalist on my phone BNeilson. Hadn’t thought of doing that, but it’s a good idea! I do seem to have trouble sometimes uploading to iNaturalist… I don’t know if their server is slow or if it’s my upload speed, or maybe it’s both!
Could be a Hawk Moth… Maybe an Eyed Hawk Moth
I’ll check that out!
Polyphemus moth aka Giant Silkworm moth
I believe the caterpillar larva feed on a variety of deciduous trees but are never numerous enough to be of great concern.
Well, wouldn’t it be interesting to find some silkworm pods to spin into silk 
However, my moths were decidedly beige so I don’t think they were these pretty Polyphemus moths.
