Ah, Macroglossum stellatarum, how elusive and mysterious are your ways!
What??
In Italy, skulking about with my camera while my hosts played golf, I saw a very strange critter flitting through a patch of one of my favorite, exuberant flowers, Lantana! It hovered briefly over a flower and used a long proboscis, or was it a beak, to drink the nectar, then sped on:
 |
| Italian Hawk Moth with Lantana, MRobb, 2015 |
I love hummingbirds and thought, "Could it be? Hummingbird? Or alien life form taking botanical samples?" Turns out it was actually the Italian Hawk Moth. Who knew? Here's another, clearer, shot from Wikipedia:
 |
| Italian Hawk Moth, Wikipedia |
They are often mistaken by New World types like me for hummingbirds. Oh, and to make it even more confusing, they actually hum! I heard it hum, it's true. Not Sibelius or anything, but still. Is that weird or what? But what good fortune to meet such a charmingly deceptive creature. Have a wonderful gardening weekend!
Hi Marla,
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago my friend and former student took this phone video of a hummingbird moth in her garden in North Carolina. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viMxLhmxVk8
Gail
Gail
Hi, Gail! What a great video, I shared it on my Google plus! Thanks!
DeleteMy reaction to seeing the hummingbird moth for the first time was very similar to yours. I was captivated and charmed after I had finally persuaded myself it really was NOT a bird. Watched it among the red 4 o'clocks for a long time and I heard it hum, too.
ReplyDeleteCaptivated and charmed, yes! It's really pretty magical to encounter one of these. Thanks for chiming in!
Delete