Hummingbird Moth

Last fall I wrote an entry about Four O'Clocks.  See the following link:  

 http://windyacresnaturalfarm.blogspot.com/2010/09/4-oclocks.html

As it turns out, they were just getting started last fall.  And this fall, they have been spectacular!  They have also attracted what I have always called "hummingbird moths".  These are huge moths that are about the size of hummingbirds.  They don't come out until early evening and appear to be attracted by the heavenly scent that the Four O'Clock flowers produce at night.

Here is a picture of one of them.

Notice the pretty pink patches on its wings.

It is really quite pretty and I got to wondering what kind of moth it really was and what type of caterpillar it came from.   I found out that there is a large group of moths that are generally referred to as "hummingbird" moths.   But they are also called Sphinx or Hawk moths.

This one is a White-lined Sphinx Moth.  I've heard people at work say that these are the moths of the tomato hornworm.  But, that is not true.  They appearently make a large caterpillar similar to the tomato hornworm, but they are not the same thing.

At any rate, it was quite challenging to try to get good pictures of this moth.  They dart around pretty quickly and don't stay in one place very long.  But, I did get several good pictures of it and am sharing them here with you.