I'm sure that many people have seen the hummingbird hawkmoths hovering around their lavender or verbena flowers this summer. Our verbena had an almost daily visit from one this summer, but you don't expect to see much of them at this time of year. I saw one yesterday (8th December). As I got the ladders down from under the carport, I dislodged a moth. At first I thought it was dead but when I picked it up it started to vibrate its wing muscles. I wasn't sure what it was so I dashed for the camera and got a few quick snaps in before it had warmed up enough to fly away. It may seem odd not to recognize a hummingbird hawkmoth straight away, but at rest (or in a torpor as this one was) they are a fairly plain brown job.
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| Hummingbird Hawkmoth - Macroglossum stellatarum |
The moth book suggests that it is the only one of our hawkmoths that can survive the British winter, and then only in the balmy south-west of the country. I emailed the picture to the county recorder and he is of the opinion that they can survive the winter in Sussex and the fact that I had found a hibernating one helped support that opinion. I just hope the disturbance to its slumber didn't use too much energy so that we see it as an early visitor next year.
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| The usual view - this one was photographed in Sicily feeding on Lantana |
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