Species Focus - Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)

Over 1,600 different species of moths have been seen in North Wales at one time or another. The situation is dynamic with some species now extinct whilst others have only just colonised the region, e.g., the Box-tree Moth. New discoveries continue to be made every year and it seems highly likely that there are more species yet to be found. These may well have been here all along but simply haven’t been noticed by anyone. All this makes the study of moths a fascinating and rewarding subject. Our knowledge is still so limited that newcomers to ‘moth-ing’ often find something of significant interest soon after taking up the hobby and, as a result, become firmly hooked.

Whilst some moths are challenging to identify, often requiring dissection and examination of internal organs, many others are readily identifiable without even needing to be caught. One such is the Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum), a day-flying moth which can be seen anywhere and has been seen in every month of the year. It is especially frequent in gardens where it zooms around, pausing to hover in front of one flower after another. The resemblance to a Hummingbird is remarkable – the insect and the birds have adopted the same feeding strategy.

Hummingbird Hawk-moths are mostly immigrants, i.e. originating abroad, with waves of arrivals through the summer when weather conditions are such that southerly winds waft them up to our northern latitudes. Once here, some of them do breed and we have several local records of the spectacular larvae - which feed on bedstraws. These home-bred individuals boost the population, but numbers then fall off again in the winter months. The fact that the moth can be seen even in January and February is mostly due to fresh arrivals from Europe and Africa though some lucky individuals may find a favourable wintering site such as a warm conservatory.

Look out for this spectacular moth anywhere with flowers and send your records, ideally with photos, to the Cofnod ORS or the LERC Wales App.