I'm sorry to say this little gal was deceased when I found her. The boys have a yellow stripe down the side, and I didn't see one of this little moth. She (?) was still beautiful, well preserved and I'd never seen a leopard moth in person before, so I took the opportunity to snap a few quick pics:
The iridescent blue is amazing. Luckily it was a sunny day and the blue is really striking.
Thank you little Leopard Moth. I'm sorry you weren't alive, but thank you for the gorgeous pictures and the opportunity to interact with such a lovely creature.
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Found two of these Carolina Sphinx moths hanging out together:
Big, slow moving, gentle moths. Drab on top--but with that outstanding orange-spotted body. Apparently these moths are also referred to as "Hummingbird" moths. I guess due to size? Because they don't look like a hummingbird to me.
They're really gorgeous in larvae form too, as Tobacco (or Tomato) hornworms. The difference between the two is that Tobacco hornworms have 7 stripes on their sides and a reddish 'horn' on the tail, and Tomato hornworms have a V shaped stripe and a bluish 'horn'. I happen to have Tobacco hornworms all over my tomato plants, which I find a little confusing, but they're very pretty. Tomato season's winding down & I don't mind them. I probably should, but I'm a fan of the hornworm as it turns out.
Tobacco hornworm; Manduca sexta