Fun Friday Insects: The Hummingbird Moth

Welcome back to Fun Friday at Blogging for Fun. This is our first topic of the new year, and we are doing insects. Any insect of your choosing.

Watch the video below and tell me if that looks like a moth? A moth is an insect but that looks like a hummingbird. It is a hummingbird moth! Did you know there was any such thing? I didn't, matter of fact I might have seen these and didn't even know it wasn't a hummingbird. I do have to say they have fatter bodies than a regular hummingbird.

Facts about the Hummingbird Moth:

- Most moths only come out at night. The Hummingbird Moth is seen on clear, sunny days.
- Hummingbird Moths grow up to two inches long with brown bodies and red stripes. Though there are some that look like bumblebees in their coloring, and I saw one with polka dot wings like a ladybug.
- Mating habits: After mating the female moth lays her eggs on host plants. When the caterpillars hatch they are yellowish green with darker green lines, reddish spots on their sides, and a long yellow tail.
- When the caterpillar is fully grown it crawls down into the soil and creates a cocoon. If it is early in the season, when the cocoon is formed, the caterpillar will hatch in a few weeks. If it is closer to Fall the cocoon will stay in pupa form until the Spring.
- As their name would imply, Hummingbird moths feed on the nectar of plants, just like a hummingbird. They especially like Honeysuckle, Red Clover, blueberry, blackberries, roses, and thistles.
- The proboscis is the technical term for the long mouth like part that they eat the nectar with. They actually keep it rolled up in a ball like structure until they are ready to use it.
- Hummingbird moths do have a few known predators such as birds, spiders, bats, and anything else that might find a moth or hummingbird tasty.

If you would like to join in on our Fun Friday topics, go to the left hand column of this blog, and use the sign up box to join Blogging For Fun.