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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Moths Are Here!

If butterflies come during the day, late afternoons and the
evenings are for the moths! And it's like getting to see an
entirely new species everyday.

I'd never seen a hummingbird moth on my blooms before. Of
late, this striking one has been coming to the coleus blooms.
It does look like a small bird. It has a green body with a
red band across the abdomen. Tufts of hair from the abdomen
look like feathers. The wings are clear. It keeps hovering
all the time, going from bloom to bloom so this photo doesn't
do full justice to it. I hope I can take better ones later.

A variety of tiger moth asota caricae. This one is
known to be a pest of the papaya plant.

The Mung Bean moth or the Bean Pod borer Maruca vitrata. I
found this on the ceiling of the corridor. Googling, I found out
that the caterpillars of this species are agricultural pests. They
feed inside developing seedpods of beans and peas.



Haven't been able to identify this one. Found it on a croton leaf
one afternoon in February.


These fuzzy white ones love nightfall!

A white moth with transparent wings...on a gardenia leaf. I
think (after a lot of googling), it belongs to the Leucoma sp.
but I don't know the exact name.

These are just a few of the many that keep coming. The wings
may look dull but several of them reveal gorgeous colouring
when the wings are open for take-off. It'll be interesting to
see what variety of moth this evening will bring.

12 comments:

Carla said...

we are having a very few sneak in the house at night (I'm sure for the warmth), I hope to have a hummingbird moth again this year, I LOVE the color of yours, I don't think ours are that color:) Enjoy!

Susie said...

I love the hummingbird moth Kanak! It looks so colorful. I hope you can get a better picture of it. I too had the joy of capturing a picture of one in my garden last year. They are certainly unique looking.

Anonymous said...

At my parents old house, I would see the hummingbird moths. They are fascinating to watch. Wonderful pics as usual Kanak.

Unknown said...

Carla, about the colour, I end up staring for a while before I click:) Striking.

That's right Susie, unique is the word for them. About a better photo, I'll try my hardest!

Thanks Mildred. I hope I see many of them in the following months.

tina said...

They are so pretty one could mistake them for butterflies. You took good pictures of them all. That hummingbird moth really does look like a hummingbird.

Kerri said...

Hello Kanak!
Your hummingbird moth is greener than the ones I see here on our summer blooms. They're very hard to photograph because, as you say, they're never still. You did well!
All the little creatures are fascinating, aren't they? Your photos of the Tiger butterfly are gorgeous.
The Coral tree is striking. Are they also called a Flame Tree? It looks like the ones I've seen in Australia where I grew up.

My Mother's Garden said...

Hi Kanak~
I've seen the hummingbird moth in the garden before and found myself getting excited thinking it were a true hummingbird. It really is a pretty moth.
We only get to see the hummingbirds in the winter time it seems, I've seen three so far. I always feel blessed when they come visit the blooms in my garden :)
Great photos today!

Karrita

Randy Emmitt said...

Kanak,

I'm sure those are just a sampling of the moths to come soon enough. We have been getting small ones here, but nothing like we'll have May-August. We grow Moon Flower for the night moths, hopefully we'll see plenty this year.

Shauna said...

I am new here! What a great blog :)

Unknown said...

Tina, I am beginning to appreciate them a lot better now. Thanks.

Hello Kerri! Thank you so much for stopping by. And for leaving your kind words...

No, this is not the Flame tree. Here, it hasn't bloomed yet but we won't have to wait very long for the first signs of colour. The botanical name of the Flame tree is Delonix Regia/Poinciana Regia. It's known by many other names too.

I'll check out the Australian Coral tree later...I'm happy you went through my older posts too.

Karrita, the first time I saw it I just kept staring! I feel exactly the same as you do. Blessed, I mean. There are many other winged ones coming everyday. It's such a pleasure watching them, even if it's for a short while.

So you see h.moths only in the winter. I'll have to keep track of my sightings too.

Randy, it'll be wonderful to see the moths on your blog. There must be so many kinds making an appearance everyday in summer. Looking forward to that.

Hi Shauna, glad to 'meet' you. Welcome! And I'll be at yours soon!

Anonymous said...

Hi .. you have some lovely visitors. They are part of why we garden, right? I dream of having hummingbirds in my garden. When? Hmmm ...

Unknown said...

Thanks Blossom, but that was a hummingird moth. I wish for hummingbirds too...it's good to dream on....