Hummingbird Moths

Hummingbird Moths

August 4, 2009

Hummingbird Moth (Hermaris thysbe)

This Hummingbird Moth, also known as a “Bee Moth” in Europe is a Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies). It is from the Sphingidae family (Sphinx Moth, Hawk Moth and Hornworms) of which there are at least 1200 known species. It is of the genus Hemaris.

There may be 3 species of Hummingbird Moths in the region around Protection Farm but I have only observed this one species. Last year the Hummingbird moths were much more plentiful. This year, as of today I have only seen one. These photographs are from last summer, late July.

This is an odd moth. It is so named because it can be easily confused to the casual observer with a hummingbird. Sometimes with a quick glance one does not note that it is an insect. It looks like a hummingbird in coloration, shape, and size. It hovers like a hummingbird. It is slightly smaller but not by much. But, it does have feathery antennae one of the telltale signatures of a moth. It has insect body parts although the head, thorax and abdomen seem like one body part. Unlike many common moths it is active during the day. It is typically found visiting flowers for nectar along with hummingbirds.

This species (Hermaris thysbe) is colored olive green and red. To me, it looks a lot like a lobster with wings. Some of the photos that I have taken make it look like it is hanging on the outside of a reef. It has a very lobster like back end. It has bands or stripes on its abdomen, and this exoskeleton makes it appear similar a lobster.

Tufts of hair on the abdomen are feathery looking which give it a bird like appearance. The wings are mostly clear and beat rapidly and issue an audible buzz, not unlike a hummingbird.

The insect has a long thin proboscis which is the nectar sipping mouthpart.

Some of my photographs look like it is a lobster on a coral reef. The reef being the flowers.

The female lays eggs on host plants that include honeysuckle, hawthorns, viburnum and Black Cherry, and Black-eyed Susan. The caterpillars are yellowish green with darker green lines and reddish spots on the sides. They have a yellow tail horn. When the caterpillars are fully grown they climb down the host plant and into the soil where they make a cocoon and become a pupa.

If it is early in the season when they pupate they adults will emerge in a few weeks. If it is in the fall, the moths won’t emerge until the following spring.

Adult Hummingbird Moths feed on nectar from many sources. At Protection Farm they are often found at the Bee Balm, Joe Pye Weed, Milkweed, Butterfly Bush, and other nectar sources. They are a lot of fun to watch as they hover, and curl and uncurl their spectacular proboscis.

There are only three kinds in the animal kingdom of hovering nectar feeders. Hummingbirds, certain bats, and these sphingids.

Some of the sphingids are the fastest flying insects, capable of flying at over 30 miles per hour.

Cat Predation has Tremendous Impact

Cat Predation has a Tremendous Impact on Wild Bird Populations

Green Living- Reprinted from the July 2009 Sardinia Standard

By Jay Burney


Let me start out by saying that I am a cat person. That is as opposed to a dog person. I love cats. Nothing against dogs, they are fine, I have had dogs, but they are just not my favorite animal. Cats have been my companions and my pets of choice all of my life.

Late one bitter night last winter, a stray cat showed up at my rural door at Protection Farm. There are lots of feral cats in my neighborhood, perhaps a couple dozen visible daily along Miller Road. This one, a young jet black male cat recognized me as a species that it could adopt. It must be part of its genetic make up. Humans and cats have been co-dependent for a very long time. This cat is a very beautiful and pleasant animal with a magnetic and loving personality. It held nothing back and insisted that I pay attention. It was seeking shelter and compassion and it was willing to give its love. It was a very young cat and we decided to feed it. It came into the house which sent shock waves through our other two housecats. It wanted to stay. We knew that we faced a choice and that any actions would have consequences. We have a piece of property that we think of as a nature sanctuary. We love birds and other wildlife. We know that cats can be destructive of that kind of investment. Our two resident “inside” cats convinced us right away that we didn’t want another inside cat. \

And so the bargain that we struck with ourselves was that we would encourage the new one to be a barn cat as much as possible. In this decision we combined out compassion with idiocy and wishful thinking. We did fall in love with the creature, but we let it inside only on bitter nights. To make a long story short, here it is in June and the beautiful little black kitty which we have named snowball still lives with us.

A nature sanctuary, birds and small mammals, and a cat, cannot coexist. We enjoy birds, small mammals, insects and other wildlife. We feed them, garden for them, and build nest boxes for them. I take photos of them, many of which appear in this newspaper. This spring we had two pairs of bluebirds nesting in boxes we built, a pair of tree swallows, a pair of kingbirds, woodcocks in the field, and several other dozens of wild species. As I write a pair of bobolinks are chatting it up outside my window no doubt making plans and building a ground nest.

Until a few days ago snowball was an outside cat. As winter receded and spring progress I have had the pleasure of observing his hunting skills. It is a good mouser. It is proud of this and presents us with certain gifts, some still living. Early in the spring when the mouse population apparently declined, he moved onto voles. That was ok with me, because they did a bit of destruction to our lawns. Then I noticed that our rabbit population had all but disappeared. For a few days Snowball even stalked and hunted the digger bees that have a huge sand nest. He cheerfully devoured them without any apparent harm. And then he began taking chipmunks. The almost last straw to my self denial was when he presented me with a very much alive wide eyed baby chipmunk. I rescued and released it much to the, I assume, appreciation of its noisy parents which had followed Snowball and his treasure to the bench upon which I was sitting.
When the migrating birds started coming through and started to make nests I grew increasingly distressed. I asked around if anyone wanted a cat. I contacted the vet about getting the cat neutered but complications in my schedule prevented my action on this. Bluebirds were here early. Two pairs each laid four eggs in nest boxes we had constructed. They all hatched. Today Snowball is living in my basement

Because
According to the USFWS we have over 60 million housecats as pets in the USA. In addition there are feral cats that are uncounted. Each year it is estimated that in the USA, hundreds of millions of migratory songbirds are killed by cats. In 1990, researchers estimated that cats were responsible for killing nearly 78 million small mammals and birds annually in the United Kingdom. The University of Wisconsin issued a study that said as many as 150 million songbirds are killed annually in Wisconsin by cats. A Study done by Point Reyes, California researchers estimates that as many as 4.4 million songbirds may be killed daily in the U.S. by cat predation.
Housecats are not native to North America and therefore cat predation here is not a natural act that helps promote a balance of nature. The introduction of cats to North America was the introduction of an invasive species. And so if we are concerned with biodiversity, we have to be concerned about cats and cat predation.


What Can You Do?

-Putting a bell on your cat is practically useless in terms of cat predation. Wildlife does not necessarily recognize a bell sound as a danger sign. Many cats learn to stalk quietly even when wearing a bell. If the cat goes after a nest box, or a ground nest full of baby birds, the bell won’t mean much.

-Feral cats multiply exponentially. Make sure to neuter or spay any cats that lay claim to you.

-Keep your cats inside, especially during bird nesting season and especially during late spring, early summer when many of our wild birds are having their initial broods. Barncats are useful and helpful. But it is important to know that they will prey on songbirds, other small mammals, and other valuable creatures.

-Do not feed outdoor cats with the expectation that this will diminish hunting. This will not work. It may attract more cats which increases predator density.

-Support local pet clinics and shelters. The feral cat population in is way out of control and these valuable organizations and agencies play a big role in helping to protect our biodiversity.