Hummingbird hawk-moth

Macroglossum stellatarum Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now adults on the wing 52 days

adults on the wing Insect here all year

The whole year

13 August – 24 November

the coastal calendar, shifted 24 days later for this region

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

Hovering at lavender and valerian in full sun; mistaken for a hummingbird every summer.

Worth knowing

Partly migratory: the coastal population is topped up every spring by moths arriving from further south, so numbers in a given July say as much about Africa as about the local bedstraw crop.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

iNaturalist — photos and where people are seeing it Wikipedia — Macroglossum stellatarum

Regions

where this species is on the list

Dalmatian coastKvarner and IstriaVelebit and the DinaridesSlavonia and the Pannonian plainTukhlia, Ukrainian Carpathians

Phase by phase

dates as they fall in the region chosen above

Phase	When	Length	What it means
hibernating	25 November – 24 March	120 days	True hibernation: body temperature drops and the animal cannot simply wake.
going about the year	25 March – 24 May	61 days	Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out.
on eggs	25 May – 12 June	19 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
larvae feeding	13 June – 18 July	36 days	Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing.
in the pupa	19 July – 12 August	25 days	Rebuilt inside a chrysalis or cocoon; the animal cannot move or feed.
adults on the wing	13 August – 24 November	104 days	The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate.

Other insects in this region

Buff-tailed bumblebeeCommon glow-wormEuropean hornetEuropean mantisGreat green bush-cricketRose chaferScarce swallowtailStag beetleSwallowtailWestern honey bee

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