donnam@ivory.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Donna Mitchell) (02/18/91)
First Off, I know this is rec.birds and I am posting about an insect.
Unfortunately, there isn't a rec.insects, so I thought this the best
place.
Last friday, just about dusk, I saw something hovering around some geranimuns.
It acted much like a hummingbird, but not quite. I was aware of the
existance of Hummingbird Moths (clearwings), so I thought that was what it
was. I looked up HM in my all-you-wanted-to-know-about-insects book. The
general shape of the HM was right (including the long snout-like mouth), but
that was about it. The book said that they range coast-to-coast in the
North and along the Gulf area. I'm in inland southern California. The book
also discribed them as emerald and red gem colored, similar to a hummer.
Mine was beige and black (or dark brown) zebra stripped. The stripping
was very noticable, in fact that was what first made me notice that it
wasn't a hummer.
Any ideas out there?
Thanks,
Donna
______________________________________________________________________________
| Donna Mitchell
A little experience can help | Donnam@palomar.SanDiego.NCR.Com
a person overcome quite a | UUCP: ...!ucsd \
bit of education. | NCR: ...!ncrcae - !ncr-sd!palomar!donnam
-Skunk River Sage | ARPA: ...!nosc /
__________________________________|___________________________________________rdmiller@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Ruth D Miller) (02/19/91)
There are a number of species of day-flying Sphynx moths with varying patterns of body colour--I don't know which are common to CA but it certainly makes sense that that is what you saw. Most of the hummingbird moths (Sphynx moths--I'm being lazy--the H-moth is one species of S-moth I think) are maybe 1/2 size of a Ruby throated hummingbird. Also lack bird-type tails. THey do like same kinds of flowers. Ruth