Hummingbird Moths

Hummingbird Moths

The late July garden is buzzing with activity.  Even as the Bee Balm fades, the hummingbirds and bees are all over it, as well as the other flowers in the garden.  And there’s another visitor frequenting the garden lately; the Hummingbird Moth (Clearwing Moth).

This moth looks and flies like a smaller hummingbird, and at one time I thought it was a really small hummingbird, but nope, it’s a moth.  Most moths are out at night.  Hummingbird moths are a daytime creature, and I’m grateful for that, as they’re beautiful and fascinating to watch as the flitter from one flower to the next.  Lately they’ve taken a liking to the purple balloon flowers, which get their name from their appearance just before they open up.

Looking and flying like a hummingbird is both functional as well as great camouflage for this moth.  It’s not what it appears to be, but its built to be highly efficient as it dines on the nectar from the flowers in the garden.  There’s a lesson or two in this of course.  Sometimes you need to look closer at something to see what it really is.  Making assumptions about things offers little opportunity to understand what’s in front of you.