It appears to be a big year for clear-wings, at least in my neck of the woods. Currently there appear to be three types visiting, mostly using the Brazilian Verbena. There is the Hummingbird Moth, one I think called Snow-berry Clearwing (black sideburns), and another pale yellowish one. There is also a fourth very large kind with a tartan back which has yet to appear. I must admit I like them almost as much as hummingbirds. They tend to visit small flowered plants like the verbena, agastache, and small flowered salvias, with the brazilian verbena the overwhelming attractant. It would be nice to have a guide to clearwings.

Oh yeah, the hummies will chase away anything! They zip and zoom around butterflies and the butterflies try to follow them as well. I also have several feeders hanging from my back porch eave...where the suppport beams are made of cedar...of which I have those big black carpenter bees make holes in. Those bees try to get into their holes and the hummies chase them away. I like that. Of course, the hummies will 'try' to scare off the mockingbird and great kiskadees - talk about a real territorial battle!!! Guess the most fun is just sitting back and watching them chase each other all over the place. They are getting quite bold and hover under my porch roof. You can see them doing that air dance fractions of inches from the ceiling. I keep trying to get photos but am always out in the yard when they do that. ~ Cat

The moths are also called sphinx moths. And yep, they are from tomato hornworms. If you like the moths, you can grow a sacrificial tomato plant. Pick something really leafy, plant it away from the other plants and move the hornworms to it when you find them. It's work, but not much if you like watching the moths feeding at dusk and at night. They also really like daturas. Hummingbirds don't fly at night, they go into a mini hibernation. The birds have such a fast metabolism that they would starve to death if they had to go more than a few hours without eating.

two days after the post, a new male came to the feeders, I'm not sure, it may be the one earlier I though was a female, but later in the day He was perched on top of the post the holds the feeders, and he turn slightly showing red coming from the back of the left side of his neck an area about 1/8" wide by a 1/2" to 3/4", I'm assuming he a juvenile, but he has taken control, all the other males are still around but he runs them off just like he does the females, today he made friends with a female, it worries me, is it not a little late for mating. The bird feeders are all setup close to he end of the trailer, no bird is farther than 3 foot from the window, so far the birds have had no problem with the closeness, other than the newest hummer will get cranky every now and then, and tries to chase the cardinals that come to the feeders, he never succeeds but it doesn't stop him from trying. I changed the feeders around yesterday trying to get ants in tack, and I had a few surprises as the other birds would go to a hummer feeder then look puzzled, what was cute was my favorite of the bird, birds was a titmouse that landed on the hummer feeder and scooted all the way around the feeder looking for the food, then started picking the container that holds the sugar mixture, he found his food foot above his head. I did try an get some video but because of the speed and the lack of shutter speed, all i got was a lot of green and a blur of a bird here and there. It is so amazing how unbelievably our eyes are! I'm not sure an automated camera can keep up with the wide area of movement that the hummers cover even in close areas.