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humming bird moth

15 years ago

I live in the high desert of AZ Last night I saw what looked like a baby humming bird after getting closer I realized it was some kind of moth which I later found out was a humming bird moth. There were 5 of them they are so cute and friendly. The ones here have 2 lime green wings and 2 orange wings the strips on the body are also green as are the antenas. They vary in size from about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches. We stood in the yard for a good hour watching them fly around us from flower to flower.

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Comments (6)

roo2u
Original Author
15 years ago
After looking at many photos on the web. Most others are white and pink. I wonder why the ones here are lime and orange?
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
15 years ago
Hi roo! There are lots of different kinds of hummingbird, hawk or sphinx moths, as they are also called.

Check out this site and scroll about half way down to the 'Pacific Green Sphinx, Arctonotus lucidus.' It looks pretty much lime green and orange in the picture and what a beauty! All the hummingbird moths add such a mysterious beauty to the evening garden. I just love them!

If that's not it you'll find a picture of the one you saw if you look around at some butterfly and moth sites, or maybe someone on here can give you a better idea.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pacific green sphinx ... scroll half way down.
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Ok so thats what a Sphinx moth looks like, very cool! I see thse little moth type things around here both during the day and at night, they look like a cross between a hummingbird and a bug because the wings flap real fast like hummer, and it has a beak looking thing, but it is definately not a bird, it is a bug. I thought these were sphinx moths but now that is cleared up. I have never seen a sphinx moth then. I do like the green luna moths but haven't seen one in a while, does anyone know what attracts them? BTW I also thought Kyle was older than 3! Shawn
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Robin, Subrotunda was really quite popular with my hummers here in NY and it did fair a bit longer than the coccineas after the first frost. I have a couple right now that have reseeded and flowered albeit quite small. My plants have lost nearly all their leaves now but the main stem is still green and several are trying to put on new growth close to the base of the stem. You can thank Nancy over Here Penny
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chuckr30
15 years ago
Do any of the above moths come from tomato hornworm caterpillars commonly found on tomatoes or tobacco?
jessi323
15 years ago
There are 3 different types of HBM - the ones we have here are Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moths. They are awesome little critters, they love the petunias.

http://image71.webshots.com/71/3/22/28/2487322280103309036OoNWUB_ph.jpg

Ugh, sorry I cant post pics properly - I got it right once and havent been able to duplicate it since....
jessi323
15 years ago
Here is a link to some photos I took of the HBMs in the backyard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Moths in the petunias
cynandjon
15 years ago
We saw these moths for the first time this year. they are absolutley amazing!

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