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bobbie2 | all galleries >> Galleries >> winged_things > White-lined Sphinx Moth feeding on Vinca blooms IMG_0164 copy.jpg
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17-SEP-2004

White-lined Sphinx Moth feeding on Vinca blooms IMG_0164 copy.jpg

Sideyard flower garden

Being at the right place at the right time, this little guy caught me unaware while I was photographing my flowers. At first, I thought it was a hummingbird. Fortunately, he didn't get scared off and I managed to get several shots of him. Unfortunately, on this shot I didn't have the shutter speed set high enough to get a freeze action on his wings, but part of the body was in focus enough to scalvage the photo. In this photo, the White-Lined Sphinx Moth a/k/a hummingbird moth has extended it's proboscis (feeding tube) in the center of the flower to capture the nectar. The proboscis can be as much as 10 inches in some species. When not feeding, the proboscis is neatly coiled up.

Canon EOS 10D ,Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
1/1250s f/3.5 at 100.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time17-Sep-2004 02:46:29
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS 20D
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length100 mm
Exposure Time1/1250 sec
Aperturef/3.5
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programmanual (4)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Peter Hollinger11-Nov-2004 19:38
Fantastic shot showing the "business end" of the moth! My favorite of the series. The flower looks like periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), not impatiens.
Ron Lutz II09-Nov-2004 19:27
WOW! What a great shot! I like the motion blur of the wings so am glad you couldn't change your shutter speed! Way to go!