There’s been no shortage of weird and wonderful creatures in the garden this year, but there’s one in particular, I’m very excited about.

Back at the beginning of August, Dave was sitting on the steps, smoking a cigar and watching me putter about in the catio yard, when all of a sudden he exclaimed, “What the heck is that???”

I came over to look, but by the time I got there, it was gone. So I asked him to describe it for me. “It was some sort of giant bee/bird thing.”

“Was it a hummingbird moth????” I asked with much excitement. I pulled up some pictures on my phone, and he confirmed, it was the strange creature he saw. As thrilled as I was, I was also a little sad and jealous… I’d never seen one in real life.

Over the next few weeks, he saw it several times, but always when I wasn’t around. I became convinced it was my own personal Polkaroo.

But then…

I was out deadheading the butterfly bush and something buzzed by my head and into the bush. It’s a hum similar to a hummingbird, but lower and softer. And as you can see, it’s a fantastical looking thing.

There are actually a few types of Hummingbird Moths, and this particular one is a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth.

And it’s pretty easy to see how it got that name. I’ve also seen them described as Flying Party Shrimp in a Velvet Suit… and that’s pretty accurate too.

I know I’ve complained before that so many of our moths are boring and beige, but this little guy more than makes up for it.

You can read more about these fascinating creatures here.