Seen a Moth That Looks Like a Hummingbird? Here’s What to Know : You’ve probably come across a hummingbird moth if you’ve ever seen a tiny replica of a hummingbird darting from one blossom to the next in your yard. Due to their similar motions and flight patterns, these large insects are frequently mistaken for hummingbirds at first glance. Not unexpectedly, the name “hummingbird moth” refers to these organisms. But when it comes to your garden, are they good or harmful bugs? This is important for you to know.
Seen a Moth That Looks Like a Hummingbird? Here’s What to Know
Types of Hummingbird Moths
“The United States has over 120 native species with similar morphology and biology to the tomato hornworm,” he adds. Florida’s Perfect Plants Nursery owner Alex Kantor says, “Some common types in North America are the snowberry clearwing, white-lined sphinx, slender clearwing, and hummingbird clearwing.”
The tomato and tobacco hornworms are the most famous moths, but their caterpillars are nasty. They’re unpleasant in the garden because they may quickly devour tomato plants or other nightshade plants before you realise it. After becoming moths, they pollinate plants, so you may want them in your garden.
Several hummingbird moth species lay their eggs on host plants. Hatchling caterpillars eat the host for food. Entomologist Jim McHale says honeysuckle, dogbane, hawthorn, cherry, plum, and viburnum host plants. “Most species do not pose a huge threat to plant health.”
Where and When to Find Hummingbird Moths
Warmer months provide more aromatic flowers, which attract hummingbird moths. “Their activity varies depending on your area’s bloom season,” he adds. “During the spring and summer, whenever your flowers are blooming, is when they are most active.”
Hummingbird moths live weeks to months depending on environmental circumstances. “These moths live from three weeks to seven months,” he adds. He says weather, shelter, and foraging determine their lifespan.
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Tips for Attracting Hummingbird Moths
Hummingbird moths are ecosystem-important. Dr. Ellis says “Both male and female flying hawk, hummingbird, or sphinx moths have a famously long 1-inch (25 mm) proboscis or insect tongue that rests curled up like a garden hose under their head, but when feeding, acts like a long straw that syphons nectar from flowers.” This makes hummingbird moths good garden pollinators.
These moths are busy day and night, another perk. “Their ability to visit flowers throughout the day and night allows for the pollination of a wide range of plants, ensuring fruit production and continued biodiversity,” Kantor adds.
1. Grow odd-shaped flowers.
Grow plants with varied flowering seasons to attract pollinators. Diversity in the garden benefits plants, pollinators, and the ecology. “Plant a variety of flowers in your garden, including flowers with a variety of shapes, colours, and sizes with blooming times that differ by month and by time of day,” he adds. “The hawk, hummingbird, and sphinx moths like flowers that are nectar-filled, tube-bottomed, or deep-throated flowers that bloom in the evening or early morning such as butterfly bush, citrous, morning glory, petunia, or honeysuckle.”
2. Choose fragrant flowers.
Your yard may attract moths by growing fragrant flowers. “Hummingbird moths are attracted to sweet-smelling flowers, particularly those with trumpet-shaped blooms,” he says. “Some examples of flowers that they enjoy include bee balm, honeysuckle, moonflower, and jasmine.” McHale adds to white or pale plants to attract them.
3. Use trees or plants as larval hosts.
One approach to attract moths is to grow trees or plants where they lay their eggs. Each moth species prefers to consume and lay eggs on larval host plants.
Dr. Ellis says “While the tomato hornworm will devour tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, eggplants, and potatoes of the family Solanaceae, they also feed on related weeds such as jimsonweed, wild tobacco, and devil’s claw or ornamental plants in the same family.”
Dr. Ellis suggests finding out what hawks, hummingbirds, and sphinx moths live in your area and which larval host plants they eat. “For example, to attract the giant sphinx moth (Cocytius antaeus) to my home in Southern California, I planted a cherimoya tree for the larvae,” she adds.
4. Don’t use dangerous lawn chemicals.
Reconsider your lawn treatments because they can poison pollinators like hummingbird moths. McHale, “Insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and natural biocides work best when trying to preserve hummingbird moth populations.” Although every circumstance is different, he recommends a solution “that decomposes quickly in sunlight or acts as a contact killer only [and] to avoid products that leave a residue.”
