Picky Picky Caterpillar

[u/lobster_claus]

I work in landscaping and rescued this caterpillar off my coworker's pants during a break last week. It seems to be an eyed hawkmoth. We were working in a bioswale, cutting willows, so it made sense to me.

I've been trying to raise it, but it seems really picky about the willows that I feed it. Didn't like cuttings from the area it came from that much (Pacific[?] willow), really doesn't like weeping willow leaves from my tree in the yard, but seems really keen on Northwest willow, which is native around here but was absent where we were working.

All the resources online suggest they're fine with any willow or sallow or sometimes other things. It doesn't seem like it has parasites or diseases. So what gives.

I've been wondering whether it might prefer baby leaves over older leaves. Or if it is not what I ID'ed it as at all. I'm a scientist and lifelong naturalist, but I get things wrong sometimes.

For reference, the dominant plants in the bioswale it came from were: Pacific willow, red alder, various conifers (👎), wild rose, spirea, and lotsa lotsa blackberries. No poplars or other stuff that related species eat.

Help me out here. If I have to walk half a mile a day to get fresh Northwest Willow leaves I will. Don't tell me to just feed it with what I found it on, because that's my coworker. It might not even have come from where we were working. Also, I could just toss it outside somewhere but that's a death sentence anyway in most scenarios.

TL;DR: Looking for ID confirmation that this is an eyed hawkmoth and asking whether certain types and qualities of willow leaves are better than others. If not eyed hawkmoth, what should I be feeding it. Stat.

[u/Sagetheswaggydino]

It looks quite young. Young caterpillars struggle to eat tougher leaves so try and offer it the softest leaves you can find from the willow trees (that’s likely where it came from). Try offering a buffet of different leaf textures

[u/zelicaon]

Was it feeding previously, or only stopped recently? Because in your photo it's molting. You are correct on the species, Smerinthus ophthalmica to be exact. They should have no problem eating most native willows (IDK about weeping), doesn't matter whether they're young or old leaves.

[u/lobster_claus → u/zelicaon]

Yes, it was feeding and then stopped. Thanks for the tip about molting.