I. podalirius
         P. machaon
         P. aegeria
         M. didyma
         M. cinxia
         K. roxelana
         P. rapae
         S. pyri
         M. stellatarum

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Hummingbird Hawkmoth (M. stellatarum), Feeding :: 2002/07/29 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Hummingbird Hawkmoth (M. stellatarum), Feeding :: 2002/07/29 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Hummingbird Hawkmoth (M. stellatarum), Feeding :: 2002/07/29 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image!

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Macroglossum stellatarum

This moth is very common in southern Europe, but is a strong migrant and can show up as far north as Scandinavia and the British Isles.

It has a wingspan between 40mm and 50mm (1 1/2" - 2 in). Sexes are similar, featuring black and white tails, gray forewings, marked with darker wavy lines, and light orange or yellowish hindwings.

Predominantly a  diurnal insect, the Hummingbird Hawkmoth is quite unmistakable, darting from flower to flower, with an audible hum, and feeding as it hovers. It usually visits nectar-rich flowers, such as Red Valerian, Honeysuckle, and Petunia, and may stay for a number of days in a well-stocked garden, patrolling regularly every four hours. It is also known to "sunbathe", by hovering in front of sunny walls.

There are two broods each year in southern Europe, but adults may be seen flying year-round. In fact, I recently happened on a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in early January, during my visit to the Neolithic settlement of Sesklo, just outside Volos.

 Larva is green or brown and feeds on bedstraws. Fully grown larvae  pupate in a flimsy  cocoon on the ground, amongst leaf-litter.

The specimens above were photographed feeding on a Balloon Vine Flower (Cardiospermum halicacabum).

By the way, the Genus name, Macroglossum, is derived from the Greek words makrys, meaning long, and glossa, meaning tongue. Thus, Macroglossum, in effect, means "long-tongued".

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Fact Sheet

Larva Food Plants
Bedstraw and valerian.

Flight Period
All year.

Habitat
Flowery gardens.

Distribution
Southern Europe, but migrates as far north as Scandinavia and the British Isles. Its distribution range also includes North Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Pakistan. In the southernmost part of its resident range, confined to mountains, as in Iran and Oman.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Neoptera; Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Sphingidae; Genus: Macroglossum; Species: stellatarum

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