These photos of a
white-lined sphinx moth, or hummingbird moth -
Hyles lineata - were taken right along Highway 95, between Goldfield and Beatty, Nevada, on our recent trip to the Mojave Desert via
Titus Canyon. I didn't mark the exact location of these photos, but the elevation is about 4700 feet.
We were lucky to have fairly low temps throughout our 5-day trip - which is good, because my truck doesn't have air-conditioning. Low, in this case, means anything under 95 to 100° F.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXhVzkbJU87fQ4RbvNVNxmHMUUXVVbbRbkE5WJPRi8UOSw_IJxsYvMmleO-Fuh6MoUPxaZo2QBNvfJY33qKmyJ2-8nkrgS8YY_1U6ZbbYwwV6Emfol4SlRWHosYCc2_6h_hq07M5tLaI/s640/HBmoth001.jpg)
We stopped because of the wildflowers, which were spectacular in places, even though we missed the main show. The moth was sipping evening nectar from some Prince's plume:
Stanleya pinnata.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoYMTgs1_OR9CO_kEdTSypu8Zpv3gNlF1wWjEIKLlWIiis8E1aHjkkZRrmE_6Fx509TtD0k7PObA3vN3Z5LpenKttFLxxlnX71tVdQaLDy8ZuAM8iFAJ00erJDiPbQyWRs7R9jwSsI5Q/s640/HBmoth002.jpg)
And here's the moth! When first seeing these moths, one is often inclined to think they are small hummingbirds. They hover just like hummingbirds, make a humming or buzzing sound while flying, and dart around very quickly.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKOSKSDqOTJFcO1w1rJ_Sq1UqRr9pyqJawcHJTpQZYOOxRVkD8ObddZGV-o0Jeu5qBA5lDAs03Uxn2rOZPcya010C0EDD495ijznNQ3y-0o0TIGWjrIyO3irv98UqEZ21oXGSVWo6K4g/s400/HBmoth003.jpg)
The wings are brightly colored, though it's difficult to get them to sit still long enough for perfect photos!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4X_R7agy71fsAbjYvdHMz1FEL_LYS4aE07ydY9cEJI5DidRmH2UJTPPfOjjN1pJhK_aJP2VTcMgQeRah1zz01BqsUJnAPuLLc_k12rypWBGYzFp5fksG4ovXt9tjcqtbKc1oc5BUu9P0/s640/HBmoth004.jpg)
As you can see, they hover over the target flower, and suck nectar through a long proboscis, which is essentially a tubular tongue.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EOndUXeM3Gc3dtHKlyyMOinMLqyUdHHQgRwOgG54-cukU8h3nQy46NzUUGv0qxhn_MpxgFu7ha5KTIeQk9CQZF9q6CGaKOwwF4kuvCYYsGEx35tl1x-Vt77hG2WNRa_h8RVaWZS8Ydk/s400/HBmoth005.jpg)
Their wings are usually just a blur, and in this photo the proboscis is coiled.
Photos: May 1, 2009.
8 comments:
That is awesome! I didn't even know those guys existed. I'm glad you posted this.
Those are some great photos! The resemblence is uncanny... if you had posted these without comment, I would have assumed it was a hummingbird.
Excellent photos!
that's one neat critter.
I remember seeing these guys on my first ever trip to the US when I was 17. I thought they were hummingbirds, which was exciting enough for a Brit, but then one of them stopped and I totally freaked out when I realised it was an insect!
Thanks, everyone! At first, when we saw it, we thought it was a hummingbird - one clue is that these moths are often out around dusk, and I think that hummingbirds prefer daylight (not sure, but that's when I've seen them most). I took almost constant photos, never knowing which ones would be in focus, then culled a whole bunch.
Cath, insects can be cool! (You probably already know that.) I grew up loving many kinds of insects, fed "pet" grasshoppers grass (which they probably hated, since they were squirting tobacco juice at me the entire time). Weird, maybe.
I hope you know this song: The bird of the bee of the moth by They Might be Giants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7LILstqmmk
Christie, I hadn't heard that song - thanks! Great lyrics!
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