Bohemia Village Voice

Dave Kent writes (Aug 2006)

I spotted a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in St Peters Road on Friday [21 July]. It was pointed out to me by a lady. Dave Kent, Cloudesley Road..

Hummingbird hawk-moth (scientific name Macroglossum stellatarum). The moth is named after its resemblance to a hummingbird, with its rapid hovering motion as it feeds on the nectar of flowers. The caterpillars grow to about 60mm in length. They are very colourful with a green or reddish-brown body with white dots and dark, white and yellow stripes, black spiracles and a blue, yellow-tipped horn. The sexes are similar in appearance. The moth itself is often mistaken for a hummingbird as it hovers above the flowers. The moths have a brown, white-spotted abdomen, brown forewings and orange hindwings. They have a wingspan of 40-50 mm. The wings beat so fast that they produce an audible hum. Hummingbird hawk-moths are abundant in Mediterranean countries, Central Asia and Japan. In the British Isles they can be spotted every year in the summer from June to September and have been recorded as far north as the Orkney and Shetland Islands. [BBC] – ed.

Hummingbird Hawk Moth.