We were enjoying some bruschetta tonight on the flower-filled deck at my in-laws. Suddenly, a fearless hummingbird appeared. At first, we thought it was a very large bumblebee, but soon we realized it had to be a crazy little hummingbird. Had to be.
I took a bunch of photos as it visited every flower on the deck, oblivious to our presence. When we got home I looked around the web trying to identify this critter, but it wasn’t listed on any hummingbird sites.
Could this be a hummingbird species new to science?
A few links and a few clicks later, I had my answer. The creature was not a hummingbird. But it wasn’t a bumblebee either. It’s a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth, emphasis on moth. It’s actually very cool. Of course, its most distinctive characteristic is that it is frequently mistaken for a weird little hummingbird. It flits around flowers in broad daylight, wings a blur, it feeds on nectar like a hummingbird, but through a crazy-lookin’ thing called a proboscis, which it coils up when it’s flying around.
But this little guy, though living under the shadow of the coveted hummingbird, deserves a little respect I think. The most respect I can show it now (don’t ask me why I’m blogging about moths at 2:15 a.m. on a Saturday night) is proper identification. It’s in the Sphingidae family, the Sphinx moths. If I had known its Latin name I would have greeted it with Hemaris thysbe.
Without further ado, my blurry “hummingbird” photos.
You can see the proboscis in this picture. You can see it much better in this picture.
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8 Comments
wow! those are amazing pictures! that moth is amazing! i probably missed it, but how big was it? it looks enormous!
thanks for sharing!
That’s so cool! I’ve never seen one of those, and it seems I’m never in the right place at the right time to catch critters with the camera.
Hey DB,
We photogged one of these on our purple petunias last night too. The pics aren’t as nice as yours. I hope to get one or two on my blog later today. I think ours was a slightly different version too. Aren’t they wierd little critters?
Good post.
Wow. Those are incredible photographs. You did a great job capturing that splendid moth. I’m going to check to see if we get those critters up here on the Olympic Peninsula. Our hummingbirds (*the actual bird) have already headed south. So, it would be cool to have these moth visitors show up. There’s still plenty of flowery nectar to be had.
Great photography.
It’s funny, I almost didn’t take a single picture because I assumed it was a hummingbird and the camera was somewhere in the house and I thought by the time I got it and got back the hummingbird would be long gone. Once it became apparent that the little bugger was going to check out every single flowering plant on the deck (and there were lots), I got the camera. Glad I did, because it seems like you all are enjoying the photos. Thanks and you’re welcome.
crystal - I’d say it was about three inches long. Pretty big, like I said, the thought that it was a bug didn’t cross my mind until I couldn’t identify it as a hummingbird.
lene - it seems like you’re much more into bugs than I am so I’m surprised you haven’t had much luck. I guess it’s all about having that camera nearby (or a bug that’s not going anywhere). by the way, I should mention that when you asked me if my wife and I had gotten a wildflower guide book last week it was really funny because her birthday was two days later and just the night before you’d asked I had picked one up for her… But I obviously couldn’t say so on the blog. I got her Wildflowers of Minnesota, by Stan Tekiela. It seems pretty nice. I have an idea for a wildflower book: one organized by time of year and location. Let’s say you see a flower in a big field in July… Just look it up by that criteria. most of them are organized by color, which works just fine, but I thought mine might be a workable approach too. Of course, the problem is that some flowers grow throughout the year, and in different microbiomes too… I digress.
troutgrrrl - pretty funny coincidence. yours definitely looks like a cousin.
RD - let me know what you find out… As I did a little research, it seems these things are none too rare and that there are several varieties. I’d be curious what their range and regional variations are like.
Cool pictures! I haven’t noticed any of those around here, but last night we were over at the neighbors’ house and the “real” hummingbirds were just swarming around the feeders; I’ve never seen so many of them in one place at one time.
I had Tekeila’s wildflower guide checked out from the library for a while, and there are some great photos in it, but I like your idea for organization a lot better.
On the wildflower book idea, I think your time of year and type of environment category is a good one for specific spots/states.
The one thing I like about Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide is that the flowers are strategically placed related to petal number and leaf type. I wouldn’t have looked so carefully at flowers if I didn’t have to meet the criteria. The identifications are usually right on, but the system takes a little getting used to if you haven’t used something like it before.
Anyway, congratulations on the new book purchase and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your sweet wife. You’ll have to let me know what you’re finding. While I might not know many bugs, I’m getting many of the flowers down.
Take care.
lene, that book does sound very cool and probably like the best way to not just learn about kinds of flowers, but about how flowers and plants work in general. you’re right about my idea being only applicable for pretty small regions (might get away with it on a state-by-state basis, but northern minnesota is almost always 3-4 weeks behind central/southern minnesota in blooming, etc.)
anyway, happy birthday to her indeed, and good luck as well… she’s leaving her job of five years tomorrow for bigger and better things. as always, thanks for coming by, i always enjoy your comments.