Scary whichever way you look at it :))

I think it may be a hawkmoth caterpillar

Elephant hawk moth catterpilla

Thanks Badfish just checked it against an Elephant Hawk Moth and its the same. Do you know how long it takes to become a moth?

If you google it you can find out the information. Someone else found one in their garden last week and asked the same question.

It was me but mine was brown not blue. There were pics if you want to scroll back a day or two)Same scary eyes though!

There are lots of different hawkmoth and silkworm caterpillars - all of them rather startling shapes and colours. A few years ago we found a huge lime green one with bright turquoise and pink knobs on. This one's a beauty, isn't he?

They seem to have a liking for fuchsias! I think the big spots are just to scare things off and not real eyes. Am I right? (It's a long time since I've seen one!)

That's what someone told me re the "eyes". My fuchsias haven't been touched though. If you can see it close up you can see the "trunk" that presumably gives it its name.That little black bit on the front of the head can extend quite a long way!