When I set off for the dog walk this morning, one of my neighbours was standing in his front garden. He said he was looking to see if there were any Hummingbird Moths around. He claimed that they were rare but he'd seen 3 or 4 at the same time last year, that they favoured a blue shrub (a Ceratostigma) and they were like hummingbirds in the way they hovered over the flowers.
I was intrigued, so I searched for Hummingbird moths on UK Moth site. And nothing came up. Is he pulling my leg? (He likes a joke). Or is there really such a moth? If so, a photo or a link would be appreciated!
carlosf
Macroglossum stellatarum - Hummingbird Hawk-moth.
http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2198
Migrant that hits the UK on hot summers. Like the Hummingbird, has a very controlled flight, due to its method of feeding on the wing. Definitely a sign of parallel evolution, as like the hummingbird, it feeds on nectar as its high impact flight means the food supply has to be high energy!
Carl