Wednesday 7 September 2016

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

The first time I saw this amazing creature, I was convinced it was the tiniest hummingbird. It hovered in the air, wings beating almost too fast to see, while it visited the flowers to feed on the sweetness inside. Hummingbirds in the middle of France? Was that even possible? There were so many of these tiny creatures flitting about the flowering shrub in front of the restaurant we visited with the family last year, we all stood there absolutely fascinated by these fabulous things. We weren't the only ones, there were other people, who stopped to watch the incredible display. Some were convinced they were tiny birds, others were convinced they were insects of some sort. So we researched and found out that they were indeed tiny moths, which looked and behaved just like humming birds - Hummingbird Hawk Moths.

Imagine my absolute delight, when my DH very excitedly called to me a few days ago, pointing to a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in our own garden! On my flowering pot plants! I grabbed my camera, and tried to photograph it, with no success whatsoever, lol, it was so fast, moving from plant to plant, from flower to flower. All I got was blur, lol. Andy read up on the moth again, and found out that they like their routine, visiting the same plants around the same time each day. So the next day the camera was ready and I didn't have to wait too long before the moth appeared again. And I finally, finally managed to get some shots -


















Toodlepip xxx