![nocturnal hummingbird moth size nocturnal hummingbird moth size](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/a4/96/a4/a496a4b7f0a99270d42867a77d823745--butterfly-bush-hummingbirds.jpg)
So it’s going to be tapered at the front and the back. These moths are going to have kind of spindle-shaped bodies. How can I be sure I’ve found a sphinx month? And then the daytime fliers are usually the ones that are going to be mimicking the bees… And if you see them, they can actually hover. The moths are usually out at night and butterflies are usually the ones out during the day. Some species are going to be nocturnal, which is kind of the typical moth thing. These moths have a wide variety of flying times.
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And then you have others that have these bright colors on them, but they’re usually going to be on the under wings so they can flash those colors and give a startle response that will surprise whatever’s trying to eat them and give them the opportunity to fly away. Those would be things that are mimicking stuff that can sting like bumblebees. But others are going to be mimics and get their protection that way. So if you look at them, they are going to be kind of mottled browns or grays so they can blend in on trees and shrubs and things like that. And there are other ones that get mistaken for hummingbirds… A lot of these are going to have camouflage in the adult stage. But, depending on the species, they can get like five or six inches in size. They will mimic bumblebees… And so you can see through their wings and their bright yellow and black fuzzy bodies. There are some that are really, really cool in the adult form. Yes, the caterpillars are eating plants, but not to the levels that it’s really going to cause an issue or they may be on plants that we’re not trying to eat. They are also known in the caterpillar stage as horned worms… I know a lot of people that won’t kill the tomato horned worms on their tomatoes because they know they turn into these beautiful hummingbird moths… But there are other sphinx moths that don’t necessarily cause damage. Wizzie Brown, an insect specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, says sphinx months are worth keeping an eye out for.