I was taking snaps of pretty blooms on a plumbago bush when something flitted around the periphery of my vision. It tried hard to stay on the periphery. It’s a hawk-moth and has been confused with a humming bird (except there are no hummingbirds in … Continue reading Suprise!
There I was trying to photograph these blue flowers, a variety of plumbago, when an orangey brown thick something crossed my lens.
The thick moth was a hummingbird hawk-moth. I only ever saw one once before, at the time thinking I had spotted a hummingbird (which do not live in the wild in Europe). So this new chance encounter was very lucky. I had no time to adjust my shutter speed and just kept clicking.
Reviewing the photos on my bigger screen at home, I was very gratified to see that I had managed to capture at least a recognisable hawk-moth.
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The first time I saw this incredible insect I thought it was a hummingbird. Yet – there are no hummingbirds in Europe! I was dumbfounded.
Luckily, I had a knowledgeable friend with me who explained about the hawk moth to me, a hummingbird hawk moth in this case so I wasn’t too far off and not alone in my mistake. It’s not a very common moth but not that rare either and I was delighted that I managed a few shots of the insect while it was feeding.
The Ragtag Daily Prompt: Insect
I was very confused when I first saw this. Are there wild hummingbirds in Germany? Almost: It is a hummingbird hawk moth. I only discovered the proboscis on the photos.
Linked to A Photo a Week: Insects.
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