If you have seen what looks like a tiny hummingbird in your garden, it is actually a Hummingbird Hawk-moth. Quite a few are being seen around Dorset, and we have been sent a lovely video of one in a Verwood garden, by David Wright.
These moths are visitors to this country, though they are thought to be breeding sometimes – one has been seen egg-laying on Red Valerian (the plant in the photo above) and eggs have been seen on Bedstraw at Badbury Rings. They mainly use Bedstraw and Wild Madder for their caterpillars to feed on.
In flight, they seem quite colourful, but at rest they not so eye-catching, as in the photo below, which is good camouflage for them to keep them safe from the many predators that feed on moths.
Hummingbird hawk-moth. Photo: Martin Adlam.
Their caterpillars go through several stages as they grow, but, like all hawk-moths, will always have the spur on their rear end, as to the left in the shot below. They are often green, but sometimes brown.
Hummingbird hawk-moth caterpillar. Photo: Andrew Cooper
If you see one in Dorset and want to report it, please go to the Dorset Moth Group website to find out how to do it. This website only takes butterfly sightings, and if you see one outside Dorset, please search the web for your local moth group.
It is a lovely sight to see it moving around from flower to flower and using its incredibly long proboscis to seek nectar in flowers that butterflies cannot use, because their proboscises are not long enough. The amount of energy it must use to hover whilst feeding is incredible, but it seems to be a successful strategy for this moth.
We have a humming bird moth
I was sat in my garden in denton Manchester last week and saw one don’t know if thay came this far up the country but can’t find anywhere to report the siteing
I saw a hummingbird moth I my garden on the 27th of July 2023.malton
Hi i have filmed a hhmoth today but have prob recording it
I could not believe my eyes but in the end I had to. Definitely a hummingbird hawk moth on Daphne odora aureomarginata yesterday 19.1.23. Snow and ice on the ground but temp. +4. Dorchester, Dorset
I have seen one twice in our garden this week in Christchurch – so early!
Saw a humming bird hawk moth in our garden in Denbighshire North Wales. Managed to film it in flight. Very fast. It was feeding on a purple flower. Lovely sight. Also saw a scarlet tiger moth yesterday. Never seen one around here before.
I saw one in my garden in Hertfordshire last week. Fascinating little creature.
Hi, there was one in Southwold yesterday. 31/7/2023
Hummingbird Hawk Moth.Definitely one in my garden. Watched it ages. Never seen one before. Pleasington near Blackburn
I sat in my garden 6.30 in the morning in Wellingborough Northamptonshire and saw a Hummingbird Moth going to all of my flower pots.
Later that afternoon, it returned and spent ages on my white jasmine bush.
I had never see one before and I watched it for ages, was so lovely to see
We live in Norfolk. I saw my first ever hummingbird hawk moth dashing from lupin to lupin
We’ve had one in tamworth staffs, see them all the time in menorca whilst on holiday so recognised it straight away.