Look-Alikes
Posted by Tammy and Dennis Dawson on September 4, 2006
Q: What flies at night hovers over flowers, eats the nectar from them. Can't see it close up yet—It likes four o'clocks (flowers)it comes between 9:00-11:30pm, could you please tell us what it is and if you have a picture please send it.
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Kentucky
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: You're being visited by a sphinx or hawk moth. There are quite a few different species of these beautiful moths and they visit flowers for nectar at dusk or twilight as you've noted. Most sphinx moths are active in low light but a few can be seen in daylight. Sphinx moths are members of the family Sphingidae and you can google this group to see the various members tht might be in your area. Thanks for asking and now you know - enjoy.
John Wiessinger ( September 5, 2006)