Moth? Hummingbird? Whichever, It’s Beautiful. [PICS]

I've lived in Maine all my life, but this week I saw a Hummingbird Moth for the very first time, and managed to get some photos of it in flight.

I was sitting in my car on Tuesday, just about to back out of the driveway, when I spotted what I thought was a hummingbird buzzing around our flowers. My camera is always nearby, so I grabbed it and started snapping pictures. That's when my husband, Jim came out of the house and said 'That's a hummingbird moth.' What the heck is a hummingbird moth? I'd never heard of it before. But it was absolutely beautiful, so I kept taking those pictures, and managed to catch a few shots of it in flight, and drinking nectar out of some delicate purple flowers.

I guess the answer is, it's a moth rather than a hummingbird, because it's classified as an insect. But it can hover over a flower, just like the tiny birds, and its wings will make a similar humming sound. The Farmer's Almanac has some interesting facts, like that the hummingbird moth doesn't have a beak, but has a long tongue that it rolls up under its chin, to get the nectar out of the flowers. And that the beautiful bird/moth comes from those large green caterpillars with the horns. Wow, talk about beauty and the beast.

It has to be the prettiest insect I've ever seen. Hopefully, it will bring friends next time, and feast on the many flowers around my house. I could sit and watch them all day.