bumping this down

We've had those moths here for years and we enjoy watching them. They're not as friendly as the hummers but never have caused any problems. The hummingbirds are usually here in spring when the flowering crabs bloom, then they're gone and return at hosta blooming time. I had to leave the feeders out for them for a couple weeks and one would stop a couple times and move on, but now they've really started frequenting them heavily. Like you, I also had just wasps and butterflies sitting on them. Now the syrup goes down visibly every day. They must be hungry little devils too because they're even trying to get nectar out of the little clear bulbs on the lights on the bushes around my deck and they buzz around my head checking me out. This is the first time I've had enough of them around me that aren't shy and they sit in the branches of my curly willow and chirp, and they sit long enough I can get a good look at them and see some of them are browner in color, and some have bright metallic green backs. Friendly little things.

Aw, poor bedraggled thing! That tomato hornworm moth has seen better days. The tomato hormworm moth belongs to an interesting family of Lepidopterans called Sphingidae...we call them Sphinx Moths or, sometimes, Hawk Moths. The caterpillars are all horn worms one of kind or another. Though it would not be incorrect to call ALL sphinx moths hummingbird moths, I don't do so. Some of the Sphinx moths have clear segments in their wings...and are called the clearwing moths. THOSE are the true hummingbird moths and are very commonly mistaken for those little birds. So! All hornworms eventually turn into a Sphinx moth. You can call them hummingbird moths if you want to, but when you see one of the true hummingbird moths in person, you'll see what I mean. Here is a link that might be useful: Some hummingbird moth images

Got the Tiger today.. Had 3 fluttering around... The verbena is really busting with flowers this spring. I have it spread all over the back yard, use it under some higher growing flowers that haven't sprung up yet