Proboscis

Much of the day spent in the garden clearing out, weeding, emptying and cutting. It’s that time of the year. The green bin is almost full.

Putting my shoes on to head out I noticed the arrival of a hummingbird hawk moth, so spent the first few minutes trying to take an approximately in focus photograph before it departed. It was focussed on the wallflowers and verbena and did not stay long. A first for our garden.

They are easily mistaken for a hummingbird as their flight pattern is similar, and they are a reasonable size for a moth (although smaller than any hummingbird). Migratory, numbers arrive from southern France each year and can breed here, so this moth may be a native. But not many overwinter, although it’s thought numbers may migrate south again.

That long proboscis, which they use to take nectar, is an extraordinary thing.