It's a bird, it's a bee, it's...?

July 19, 2013 Photo of the day: "Bumblebee Moth"

My Russian Sage seems to be attracting all sorts of visitors these days. This afternoon, I noticed the biggest "bumblebee" I'd ever seen: a fuzzy, yellow, and black creature nearly two inches long! Upon closer inspection, the insect seemed to hover like a hummingbird. I was cautious about getting too close since I figured a "bee" that huge would also have a really big stinger! On this very windy day and as quickly as this creature was buzzing from blossom to blossom, I am really surprised to have snapped these two images. Sometimes, I wonder what I would be able to capture if I used a "real" camera, but I am committed to using only my iPhone 5 to complete my Project 365. A Google search revealed that this creature is neither a bee nor a humming bird, but a Bumblebee Moth (Humaris diffinis), also known as a Hummingbird Moth or Snowberry Clearwing Moth. They are great pollinators and harmless to plants and humans. How lucky to have this guest visit my garden!