The Hummer Moth

It was the year of the hummer moth – a strange creature I had never seen before, and have never seen since. I had never even heard of a hummer moth until my mom called one day trying to explain this strange thing she saw hovering around her flowers.

I couldn’t quite imagine what she was talking about, and I have to admit I didn’t readily believe the thing existed. It took me a few visits to her gardens before I saw one for myself.

It was a lovely August day and I was once again photographing the beautiful flowers my mom somehow manages to not only keep alive, but grow beautifully. I heard it before I saw it. It made a loud buzzing sound, much like a hummingbird.

It moved so quickly that I almost missed it. My brain was slow to register what I was looking at – it was so strange. Finally the gears snapped into place and I remembered my camera.

I was crouched down on the cement at the edge of the driveway, photographing the flowers lining the length of it. I swung my camera up and managed to get a shot from below just as the hummer moth flew overhead and disappeared completely.

After waiting for it to come back, to no avail, I went in the house to see what I had captured. As I zoomed in on the creature I was surprised to see what I saw. A thick body reminiscent of a caterpillar, antennae like a butterfly, the wings of a moth, numerous legs that didn’t appear strong enough to hold the thing up, and a terribly long tongue used for sucking nectar out of flowers. It was a fascinating combination of ugliness and beauty.

The year of the hummer moth was a strange one to be sure. Although I saw more that year, this is the only photograph I was able to capture. I’ve never seen one since, and I’m thankful God gave me the opportunity to see one of His more unique creations.

And that, my friends, is the story of how I captured The Hummer Moth. Click to Tweet!

Have you ever seen a Hummer Moth or another strange creature?

Until we meet again,

Josie