Nature Watch No12 ....... A Stranger in My Garden
Chat Issue Autumn 2006
It was a typical warm summers evening, and my garden plants needed watering after the intense heat of the day. Even though my plants are watered daily at this time of year, August, the strength of the sun is very strong, drying out the earth and making the flowers droop and wither with the lack of moisture.
On entering the garden with my trusty watering can, I spotted there amongst
the flowers, a stranger. It looked like a hummingbird. At first I could not
believe what I was seeing.
There
was this little creature zipping from flower to flower. In fact it was in
reality a hummingbird moth. These moths are more likely to be seen in Africa
and Southern Europe but because of the effects of climate change, these exotic
creatures and being spotted more and more in this country.
Hummingbird moths are day fliers preferring bright sunlight, but may be seen
at dawn or dusk, rarely at night. They are strongly attracted to flowers with
a plentiful supply of nectar such as petunias, honeysuckle or buddleia. Studies
of the hummingbird moth have noted that they have a remarkable memory, and
return to the same flowerbeds at the same time everyday. They cannot survive
the winter and so migrate to southern parts of Europe.
The moth is often mistaken for a hummingbird as it hovers above the flowers. The moths have a brown, white-spotted abdomen, brown forewings and orange hind wings. They have a wingspan of 40-50mm. The wings beat so fast that they produce an audible hum.
Now I am looking forward to next summer and hopefully the return of the hummingbird, no longer a stranger but a welcome friend.