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Meadow and hedgerow · Butterflies and moths
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Macroglossum stellatarum
A stout, grey-brown moth with orange hindwings that hovers in front of flowers by day, humming, with a long tongue.
- Size
- Wingspan about 4.5cm
- Look for it
- June to September
- Where
- Gardens, coasts and warm banks, mainly in the south
My spotter's list
Hovers after you, tongue out. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
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Hummingbird hawk-moth
Good to know
Six things about the hummingbird hawk-moth
MistakeNot a hummingbird
People often report a hummingbird in the garden. There are no wild hummingbirds in Europe: this is what they saw.
WingsEighty beats a second
Its wings beat so fast that they are a blur, and you can hear the hum.
TongueA tongue as long as its body
The tongue uncurls to reach nectar at the bottom of deep, tubular flowers.
TravelIt flies here from the south
Each summer they arrive from southern Europe and North Africa. A few now survive our milder winters.
MemoryIt keeps appointments
It returns to the same flower beds at about the same time each day.
DayA moth of the daytime
Most moths fly at night. This one feeds in full sun, and also at dusk.
The real thing
Photos of the hummingbird hawk-moth
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
Watch red valerian, buddleia and honeysuckle on hot afternoons. It never lands: it moves from flower to flower like a tiny helicopter.
Lend a handHow to help
Grow red valerian or lady's bedstraw. The first feeds the moth, and the second feeds its caterpillars.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
The garden
Meadow and hedgerow
Pond and stream bugs live on their own page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond and stream
The log pile
After dark
Bugs from other parts of the world live on their own pages: choose another.
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