June 3rd, 2008
Nessus Sphinx & a boiling rain
What on earth is going on around here? Two posts in one day? Well, all I can say is that this sighting was just too nice to keep hanging around waiting to be written about.
Yesterday, I packed a lunch and Don, Sabrina and I tripped on over to Mill Pond Conservation Area to check out the dragonfly and other insect activity. Unfortunately, soon after we got there, a thunderstorm blew in, but not before I shot the above photo of a Nessus Sphinx moth (Amphion floridensis – Hodges # 7873) nectaring on the abundant phlox Dame’s rocket flowers that grow in drifts around the parking area (thanks to Cathy and Doug for the correct ID of the flowers!). The moth moved quickly from flower to flower, so I had a couple of brief opportunities to shoot stills, but then it occurred to me that it might be fun to shoot a little movie clip as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to adjust the camera focus before the moth moved away, but I think the clip is still fun to watch as it gives some idea of how much these moths resemble hummingbirds when feeding on flowers. If you would like to know more about this species of moth, visit Bill Oehlke’s Nessus moth page.
I mentioned yesterday’s thunderstorm. Here’s a little movie clip of part of the lake as seen from the van where we took refuge to eat our picnic lunch. The rain was coming straight down and made the water really boil up. Pretty neat.
[tabs]Nessus Sphinx moth, Amphion floridensis[/tags]