Yesterday,
I said to Sarah, “Have you seen any hummingbird moths yet?” for we normally have
a few by now flittering above the knot garden. She hadn’t, and I was beginning
to think we’d miss a year.
Today,
I caught the movement of one out of the corner of my eye, flying quickly among
our many pink phlox blossoms. The other appeared, and they shared time sampling
phlox and white loosestrife, seemingly unconcerned with each other.
Rarely
do they land, and the time spent at any one flower is ephemeral – a quick
placement of proboscis and removal, as if merely having a brief taste of what
nectar dwells within. The calyx of the phlox is rather disproportionately long
(approximately 1 to 1.5”), and the moth must have quite a lengthy tongue itself
to compensate.
The
real wonder is its wings, for in one species they are transparent across a
large portion, and for what purpose I can only guess. I photographed one
sampling the phlox, and the image captured its wing in still, revealing the
beauty of its mosaic design.
Notes:
Yellow
Tansy in Bloom
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