I was walking home from Trader Joe’s, cradling a bag of potato chips like a baby, and occupied with some general anxiety, when…I saw this creature. I thought it was a moth, but then I thought, “That’s a huge moth. And it’s drinking the nectar of these yellow flowers like it’s a hummingbird. And it’s hovering like it’s a hummingbird. But it’s nighttime. Who’s ever seen a hummingbird at night? So maybe it’s a…HUMMINGBIRD MOTH?” And then I googled it to see if it’s a thing, and IT’S A THING!
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the hummingbird moth is “one of the most delightful insect visitors to your garden.” So THERE. It wasn’t my garden. But it was my neighbor’s garden. And I walked by and saw it and now I will forever be looking for them.
Dang. And I thought hummingbirds were exciting. (They still are. And so are moths of all other varieties. Of course.)
Maribeth Theroux 