I'm not positive that's their real name, but they look like a small hummingbird and only come out in the late evening and night.
Does anyone know their life span? They have been all over my yard slurping on the yummy plum blossoms, but today I noticed some dead ones. I can't see how my cats could catch them, so I was wondering if they just died of old age.
Hummingbird Moths
Don't know Heidi.
Maybe they ate themselves to death....
LOL Granny. Never thought of that!
Well, if that's the case, they died happily! :o)
Patty
May 23, 2001
[ Removed per member request. - Admin]
Aren't they fascinating? They're called sphinx moths, and their larvae are those huge tomato hornworms we all pick off our 'maters! Kinda makes you want to leave one plant for them, doesn't it? LOL! Here's an excerpt from OSU's online library of fact-sheets:
Tobacco Hornworm and Tomato Hornworm Larvae
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/2000/2015.html
The tobacco hornworm, also known as the Carolina Sphinx Moth larva, has seven diagonal white stripes on each side of the body and a curved red horn at the rear. The tomato hornworm, also known as the Five Spotted Hawk Moth larva, has eight curved white stripes on each side of the body and a straight black horn at the rear. Both caterpillars are green, occasionally with a brown or black tinge, and will reach a length of four inches. Food plants of both larvae include tobacco, tomato, eggplant, pepper, potato and related weeds. The larval period ranges from 28 to 36 days, after which the larva burrows down into the soil three to four inches deep to pupate and overwinter.
In May or June, the adult moth merges. These sphinx moths are powerful fliers, and are sometimes called hawk moths or hummingbird moths because they hover while feeding on flowers. Moths are dark gray, sometimes mottled with black and light gray. Two zigzag, black lines extend across the hindwings with a black band near the border. There are five pairs of yellow spots on each side of the abdomen. The wingspan is four to five inches. A braconid wasp parasite is an important natural enemy. Its white cocoons are commonly seen attached to the larvae.
Here's info on the parasitic wasps, including the braconid wasp mentioned above:
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/2000/2113.html
The link isn't posting as a hyperlink for some reason. Be sure you include the hyphen in hyg-fact above; it's part of the URL.
This message was edited Wednesday, May 23rd 4:12 AM
WOW! Thanks GW!!!
I feel all smart and sassy now. Now if a neighbor asks about "Those funny looking moths that buzz around" I can lean on the fence post, put a sprig of hay in my mouth and matter of factly tell them all about the sphinx moths. :o)
Did you look all that up for me? Or did you already know it?
LOL...I knew they were called sphinx moths. I'd forgotten the juicy hornworms were their larvae, though; I had it in my mind they were the larvae of luna moths. Yep, I looked it up! :o)
I hate to dissagree but according to the Audubon Society hummingbird moths "common clearwings" have caterpillars that are yellowish green with darker lines and reddish-brown spots on abdomen and with yellow tail horn. they eat foliage of plants of the honeysuckle family.
The moth that the hornworm makes is called the Carolina Sphinx and Six Spotted Sphinx. The caterpillars eat plants in the nightshade family. The moths that they become are mousy gray with black and brown streaks on their wings.
Tomato hornworms are the favorite target of the parasitic wasp that lays it eggs on it and when they hatch, make tiny white cocoons on the outside of the caterpillar.
There is also a Pandora Sphinx that the moth visits flowers at dusk and before dawn. The caterpillar for it is green or reddish brown with 5 large white spots encircling spiracles and has a shiny eyelike button at the rear. It eats Virginia Creeper and grape leaves.
The hummingbird moth is out in the bright sunlight while the Carolina and six Spotted sphinx are out at night.
Calalily
Interesting, aren't they? Alot of Hummingbird clearwings (Hemaris thysbe)visited my gardens last year, even got a nice picture of one feasting on the Buddleia along with the butterflies.
Moths of North America
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/thumb/64.htm
Jean
Thank you all!!!
I have not seen any more since I found the dead ones, but the trees are done blooming so they're probably where the food is. My 4'Oclocks will be blooming in a week or two so I'm hoping they'll be back. We should be getting some real hummers here any day now. I can't wait. I love having the little guys around.
Heidi
Heidi - they used to feed on my impatiens. Maybe you could add a basket of them nearby? :o) When I looked at the factsheet, I looked at the wrong spot; my apologies for the misinformation. I was close, though! LOL - thanks for clarifying, Calalily.
Gardenwife
LOL, I wasn't being snooty or anything. I love butterflies and am constantly trying to identify insects. It's another hobby for me. We have all kinds of caterpillars here, I even leave the tomato hornworms for the parasitic wasps to take care of. At the garden center, people are constantly looking in the dill, parsley and fennel for swallowtail caterpillars. We get mourning cloak caterpillars on the pansies sometimes too. Painted Ladies like the hollyhocks to lay their eggs on.
The hummingbird moths really liked the butterfly bushes last year. We haven't had many this year yet, I guess the foods they like aren't blooming yet.
Calalily
ive had both those big hummers at night-luving the evening primrose and cleomes and the clear winged ones that come out in the daylight-yesterday i sat and watched a yellow swallowtail on the sweetwilliams!! i luv them all-but the tomato worms-eeeeeeewwwww!
Calily: Good gosh, lady. I know you weren't being snooty! Anyone who is so generous with her plants can't be snooty like that. I'm glad you specified - I am a fact fiend and want to know when I've erred. Snooty? Jeez, no. :o)
wow now i don't feel like such an odd-ball for liking the moths and other insects
I just saw my first hummingbird moth the other day! It was definitely the "clearwing," judging from the pic in the link: giant fuzzy golden body with butterscotch-colored rear and nearly invisible wings.
Hello, everyone!
The information here is so interesting that I posted it in my Gardening club, *Crazy Gardeners*:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/crazygardeners
Maybe you'd like to visit and join in the conversation that your posts will generate. In any event, thank you for all the great information!
Willow
Hello Heidi; I've just read about your moth, and I have one also. I've been told it is a clearwing moth as well and dosen't look like any of the pictures on the web site JJSGARDEN gave us. I did however find an exact picture of the moth I had. The web address is http://members.aol.com/plt170/clrwing.htm I'd never seen anything like it before. I'm going to have to get my own web page so I can show you the pictures I took of this moth.
My clearwing moth was out during the day and it's body was the shape of a lobster light green colour on the top and bee like colours on the bottom it also hovered like a humming bird. I live in Southern Ontario and I hope someone will check out this moth, and give me some feed back.
Flowerpot, That looks like a cool moth! I'd love to see the pictures you took of the one you had. Let us know when you post it *please*!
The ones I had didn't come around during July, but they're back again. They're loving my petunias and 4'oclocks.
My daughter got close enough to touch one the other day but couldn't get up the courage. I wish I'd have had the camera, it would have been a great shot!
These little guys really are neat to watch. It's hard to look at them like a bug and not a hummingbird.
I've always loved entomology. It's nice to see so many other do too!
Heidi
Hello all, brand new to DG and had to pick up on this conversation. I had a dickens of a time identifying the clearwing myself, I ended up taking a pic to our ag center for identification. I always plant verbena just for them, they have come and gone already. They usually only stick around my area for about 3 weeks. Never saw any dead ones though ! Last year I had so many the entire garden shimmered in green and gold. Nice to know there are others out there that enjoy them :-) Ta
JJsgarden I have to appoligize to you my moth was on the site you posted, I just didn't go down far enough. I've been totally wrapped up in this moth I have never seen one before and thought I discovered a new breed or something. Again I'm sorry I didn't look further before. The clearwing moth is fascinating.
JJsgarden I have to appoligize to you my moth was on the site you posted, I just didn't go down far enough. I've been totally wrapped up in this moth I have never seen one before and thought I discovered a new breed or something. Again I'm sorry I didn't look further before. The clearwing moth is fascinating.
Love the hummingbird moths,that's all I've ever called them'Their favorite in our gardens is the nicotiana and the honeysuckles' Just thought I'd add to all the other interesting posts. Love sitting on the porch swing and watching all the busy evening kids enjoying our plants,beats the tv,lol' See ya,Sis'
What does LOL mean I see it in lots of messages and I think it means lots of luck but that frase dosen't always suite where it's put.
Thanks flowerpot
Thank you Sis that makes more sense then lots of luck