Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The White- Lined Sphinx



I would like to inform the readers of this blog that all pictures and videos on this blog were taken by me in my gardens.


The White-Lined Sphinx Moth


One October in late afternoon, I gathered my book, a glass of tea and of course my camera and headed to my favorite swing in the garden to get in some reading before the sun set.

Before I could get situated and get my book opened, I saw what I thought was a hummingbird hovering over the flowers around the pond. I called my daughter because we had been anticipating the arrival of hummingbirds all day. By the time she got outside, I had figured out that what I was seeing was not a hummingbird. But what it was I did not know. I had picked up the camera and started filming. Now mind you my camera is a Nikon Coolpix L5, so I was just hoping for the best.

Once my daughter saw it she knew what she was seeing and she told me that it was a moth but she wasn't sure what kind. Well I never knew that moths got that big. I certainly never knew that they could maneuver like this one was doing. We did a little research and identified it as a White-lined Sphinx Moth. It would be an understatemet to say that I was excited.

When I planned my garden I expected to attract birds, and butterflies. I must say this moth was a pleasant surprise. I hope you enjoy the video. It is my first attempt and I'm thankful that I had a chance to capture this experience on tape.

Attributes of Hyles lineataFamily: Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths (Sphingidae)Subfamily: Macroglossinae (Macroglossinae)

6 comments:

Mckay K said...

It was beautiful and I loved the interaction between you and your daughter in tracking the elusive Lined Sphinx around the garden.

Great post Pamela!!!

Pamela K H said...

Mckay K,
We had such a wonderful time that evening. It was so spontaneous. I'm glad you appreciated it.
Thanks for visiting my blog.

PKH

2sweetnsaxy said...

I enjoyed this post and the video. Nice pics! :-)

Pamela K H said...

Hi 2sweetnsaxy,
Welcome to my blog. I'm glad you enjoyed the post and video. I appreciate your intrest. I hope you clicked on the Free Mammogram and Hunger site buttons. Please visit again real soon.

PKH

Anonymous said...

With my slow dial-up, it took a while to load and run your video, but it was worth it. I had never seen a Hummingbird Moth until this past July...when I got a photo of what I think is a Snowberry Clearwing Sphinx Moth. It's wonderful what we can see in our own yards. Really enjoyed your post.

Pamela K H said...

Carla,
You are so right. If we just slow down and take the time to look, we never know what we might discover right under our noses.
Glad you enjoyed the post & video.

PKH