Daily Postcard: A white-lined sphinx moth (hummingbird moth) gathers nectar from a flowering sage plant at a residence in White Rock. Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their bird-like size (2-3 inch wingspan) and flight patterns. As caterpillars, they have a wide range of color phenotypes but show consistent adult coloration. With a wide geographic range throughout Central and North America, they are known to feed on many different host plants as caterpillars and pollinate a variety of flowers as adults. Larvae are powerful eaters and are known to form massive groupings capable of damaging crops and gardens. As adults, they use both visual and olfactory perception to locate plants from which they collect nectar. Source: Wikipedia. Photo by Nancy Ann Hibbs
Another view of a white-lined sphinx moth gathering nectar recently in White Rock. Photo by Nancy Ann Hibbs