What’s in a Name?

In this summer that has yet to happen in northeast Ohio, working out on the deck has been a real pleasure. Usually it’s too hot, or the sun’s glare on the screen too much of a challenge. This year, however, I’ve been able to relax and enjoy the comings and goings at the bird feeders and plants that define our little piece of the globe, under the guise of working.
This afternoon I had a special visitor. And, as luck would have it, a camera within arm’s reach. The visitor was a Hummingbird Moth, Hemaris thysbe. These are strange creatures. They get their common name from their size and feeding habits. Some people think they’re looking at a baby hummingbird.
There are about 17 species of Hummingbird Moths in the world. We have four in North and South America. They are clear-winged moths and, lucky for us, diurnal.
I watched my visitor go about its business. It did not seem to mind my intrusion. The body was about two inches long and olive green with red bands across the abdomen. Its tail fans out, reminiscent of a lobster’s, or a hummingbird.
The fine hairs on its side looked a lot like feathers. It is a nectar feeder and its long proboscis worked all the flowers, just like a hummingbird. The really neat thing to watch was how the insect would roll that proboscis up, like a garden hose, when it moved from flower to flower. Then it would unroll the needle-like mouth part and probe the flower.
The Hummingbird Moth is an excellent pollinator and a great distraction from whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing.