Science Lesson

Since the spring semester's about to begin, I thought I'd blog something educational this weekend. The web (no Judy, I didn't use wikipedia as a reference) says there exists such a critter as a hornworm. Hornworms turn into big moths, known as "sphinx" or "hawk" moths. Most fly at night and are rarely seen. (Either the ones who live in Arkansas aren't too swift or I got lucky = story to follow.) The web source says a few do sometimes fly during cloudy afternoons and at dusk when they feed on flowers much like hummingbirds do. Which brings me to the story....When I snuck outside with my camera this fall, I thought I was going to take a picture of hummingbirds buzzing around the four-oclocks. However, it turned out that I had spied these sphynx moths feeding on the flowers. I took probably fifty pictures before I could capture even a decent shot....they move fast! There were about five or six of these elegant moths flying around the flower bed. I saw them several days in a row and every time, even when I had learned what they really were, my first reaction was "Ah, hummingbirds". They are a rather good sized moth. I hope they come back next fall to feed in the flower garden.