Over the years the Pasty Central family has grown to include many very talented artists, and today's subject highlights two of those. Of course, you've seen lots of Dan Urbanski's lens-work on these pages... glimpses of life in the U.P., both panoramic and microscopic. Dan provided the second shot above: the sphynx, or hummingbird moth chowing down in a field of spotted knapweed near Mass City. The top photo comes from Still Waters own garden, captured with a fast shutter speed by Dave Walli of Copper Art. While Dave may be better known in these parts for weaving his magic with metals, this time his camera talents have produced a creature worthy to be Wallpaper of the Week. For that matter, so could Dan's.

Find out more about the sphynx moth in last week's article by Jesse Drake in the Daily Mining Gazette.

Looks like purple is the color of choice. Both photos are fine works of photo-ography :) Outstanding !
mike

While out walking the dog Sunday evening in Omaha,NE, a hummingbird-like creature caught my eye. It was feeding on flowers similar to those in the Mass MI picture. It was fascinating to watch; I don't think I had seen them before. The next day, I surfed to the Daily Mining Gazette site to check the UP news (I'm a former Painesdale resident), and read the article about the same moth I had seen here. Seredipity strikes again!

We just had a neighborhood discussion here regarding the moth. There was one flying around the Lantana. We didn't know what it was, half said moth, other half said baby hummingbird. In a way all were right!! It was great to see it here, now we know what it is.

While in South Range at the beginning of August, I found myself in a discussion between my brother and sister-in-law as to wheter what we were seeing was a hummingbird or insect. It was truly difficult to tell in the twilight. We did eventually come to the correct conclusion with the help of an old Boy Scout Book. Also I must say,Dave certainly has a fast shutter, and a good eye.

Have seen these Sphynx Moths here in Cornell also.
Also I didn't know until I asked, what they were.
Really nice shots.

What great photos! I have been seeing several of these in our area lately. The first time I ever saw one was about 17 years ago, and always look forwarding to spotting them. What an interesting moth.

So glad that people post the pictures for things I can't figure out! Saw one in Houghton a couple weeks back and thought that there'd been some interesting inter-species breeding going on with the hummingbirds, butterflies and grasshoppers. Certainly glad I was wrong!!

pc2002

We Have These Moths In North Little Rock Arkansas And Had No Idea What They Were ! My Wife,Michele & I Are Trolls From Flint.Moved Here In 1996 And Miss Michigan So Much! Love The Pictures You Post So Much THANK YOU

pc2002

I saw a hummingbird moth in a greenhouse that I work for and did not know what it was until a customer told me. April 22, 2002. Montpelier, Va

I am an artist and need to know how sphynx moths look at rest. Do they leave their wings out, or fold them back? Great pictures, and great site.

I live in L'Ange-Gardien, Province of Quebec, Canada (about 30 minute drive from Ottawa). I have seen a sphynx "hummingbird" moth in my phlox flower bed yesterday (August 6, 2002). At that moment I wasn't sure if it was a hummingbird or what. I had to look it up in my bird book. It was very colourful, had a very long beak and was noiseless. D. Brazeau

August 10, 2002
While at my neighbors on Saturday she showed me this little creature flying around her flowers, and wanted to know if it was a baby hummer, I didn't think so and asked another neightbor what she thought it was, and she said a Sphynx Moth! Now that I know what it is I'll be watching my flowers! What is their story? I live in Craven Saskatchewan, Canada. Truly awesome!
Donna

Can you believe it? These moths even have their own website at http://www.hummingbirdmoth.com

We saw a sphynix moth in our flower garden the other evening at twilight in our back yard in Suamico WI. We were not sure what it was exactly,, we thought it was a baby hummingbird, but as looking at this site we found it was this sphynix moth. It was quite interesting to watch.

thank you very much for your informative picture- we just saw one one some yellow lantana (honeypot lantana), in gladstone, queensland, australia, and went through the same id process as you described in your writeup.
at least now we know what it is!

AFTER LOOKING THROUGH MANY SPECIES OF MOTHS, I FINALLY FIND IT HERE LISTED IN MY HOMETOWN. I HAD ONE HERE LAST AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER VISITING THE PETUNIA'S EVERY DAY. IT LANDED ON MY PANT LEG SO I WAS ABLE TO GET A CLOSE UP LOOK AT IT. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MOTH. IT WAS A LIGHT TAN COLOR WITH PINK STRIPES AND THE LEGNTH OF A HUMMINGBIRD. THE FEEDING TUBE WAS NEAR AS LONG AS THE MOTH ITSELF. I HOPE IT WILL COME BACK THIS SUMMER. THEY SEEM TO REALLY BE ATTRACTED TO THE RED PETUNIAS. sited Aug-Sept. 2003

My Dad took a picture of a moth at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Florida. Turns out it was the Sphinx! The colors on the smaller wings are blue and red.

Thanks for posting the great photos! I saw one of these mysterious creatures buzzing around the purple flowers and I wasn't sure if it was a bird or a bug. I got on-line and found your photos. Mystery solved.
Thanks again.

I, too, mistook my Sphynx moths for hummingbirds one late afternoon as they were browsing my Butterfly Gingers. I came online to look for their caterpillars. I scarcely know what a cutworm looks like; don't want to do damage to the Sphynx beauties. I host Swallowtail caterpillars in my parsley and bronze fennel already, I wonder what I can plant to encourage the Sphynxes. I'll keep looking for the answer!