Coprosma Hawk Moth (1/6)

Lepidoptera: Sphingidae

Hippotion scrofa  

During an early morning walk around the garden I saw what looked like a small hummingbird hovering at the flowers on a Plumbago bush.

As I got nearer, I saw that it was actually a large, solid-looking moth and I was amazed that it was able to hover at the mouths of the flowers while it inserted its lengthy proboscis into the long, slim throat of the delicate Plumbago flowers.

For ten minutes or more I watched, and the moth didn't rest but continuously flew from flower to flower, hovering at each.

Brilliant!