Our Other Flying Friends

The older part of the garden is clearly a more complex ecosystem now. The plants are larger, more filled in, and while the butterflies are less frequent visitors in the cold damp weather, we have seen an abundance of other insects and flying friends who come into the garden. Robins and thrushes poke around for bugs in the underbrush. Goldfinches hang on the Joe Pye Weed. But for sheer delight, nothing beats the hummingbird that now drops by regularly for the salvia,  beebalm, and the tall verbena.  

Rivaling the hummingbird for aerial skill and wing speed is the Snowberry Clearwing, a hawk-moth that is now a regular visitor as well. With the coloration of a bee, the wings of a hummingbird, and the proboscis to gather nector with, it represents the characteristics of three flying families. It's a treat every time the little fellow, about the size of a large bumble bee, drops by.