Posts: 1,455
Threads: 148
Joined: Mar 2010
Yesterday I saw one of these for my first time. It was feeding from the blooms of a Firecracker bush. First I thought it might be a tiny hummingbird. But it looked like it had antennae. It flew just like a hummingbird and seemed to be taking in nectar through it's large proboscis. We later found it doing a Google search. My wife did the search and said she read they are found in the Pacific Northwest. I lived there for 58 years and never saw or heard of one.
Have others seen these here? I did a search here and one comment did say that these moths do pollinate plants.
Very interesting little moth.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Posts: 127
Threads: 4
Joined: Feb 2007
I see them all the time in my garden. I believe they are Sphinx Moths. They spend lots of time hovering about like a hummingbird.
Posts: 8
Threads: 5
Joined: Mar 2008
Yes I see them quite Frequently in Mountain View. They do pollinate. They are very attracted to the impatience and I have seen them on the bloom of DragonFruit. Just about a month ago there were 6 of them fluttering on the impatience, leaving and then returning again. They even sound like a hummingbird when they flutter past. [
]
Posts: 1,179
Threads: 7
Joined: Jul 2012
there are 13 kinds of Hawk Moths here in Hawaii, 6 are endemic only to Hawaii the others are of Asian and Australian origin...
Hawaiian endemic species/subspecies (some are endangered species)
Manduca blackburni
Tinostoma smaragditis
Hyles c. calida
Hyles c. hawaiiensis
Hyles w. wilsoni
Hyles w. perkinsi
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
Posts: 2,481
Threads: 10
Joined: Feb 2008
I had the same problem. Now I keep getting spam from moth porn sites.
quote:
Originally posted by birdmove
We later found it doing a Google search.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
The Hemaris (Genus for the hummingbird moths) around our house are usually the clearwing (H. thysbe) and they seem to really like the maile pilau flowers (Paederia foetida) that grows kudzu-like over EVERYTHING.... the moths are cute, but really hate that they like pilau! (though they do like other things!)
Posts: 2,490
Threads: 222
Joined: Dec 2005
Before I put the screen door on these things were always flying in my house... Made a real racket too when they fly in the window trying to get out.
I first saw them when I was a kid in Honolulu and thought they were real hummingbirds. Hummingbird or not they are still very cool to watch in flight.
I should say I was @ target the other day waiting for wife to get done shopping and saw some really cool dragonflies. They seemed to hover for ever was really neat watching them effortlessly flying in mid air. Kinda makes me wonder why Safeway/Target parking lot would have dragonflies ... Must be a pond or some sort of body of water around there someplace.
Posts: 905
Threads: 87
Joined: Jul 2011
They come around our house every evening, I just love them!
Dayna
www.E-Z-Caps.com
Dayna Robertson
At Home Hawaii
Real Estate Sales and Property Management
RS-85517
Dayna.JustListedInHawaii.com
Dayna.Robertson@gmail.com
