Biodiversity and ecosystems in your city and region

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by megadude

Some observations I've made from this summer. What have you noticed?

My fiancée and I moved into an older home in west Hamilton in the spring, blocks away from the Escarpment. Our yards were full of plants, and we've added many more of our own. The variety of pollinating insects has been interesting to watch... including this guy (with a few more stripes on its tail than in the photo) that appeared one night in June during a socially-distanced visit of some friends:


Image source

We all thought it was a hummingbird. Same flight characteristics, same behaviours around flowers, made a light buzzing noise as it flew and hovered for quite a while around potted plants we have.

I saw it again a few days later and realized it was not a bird. Fooled us all!

I had no idea there was a creature called a Hummingbird Moth.

[Airboy]

Mosquitoes were bad here for only July. July I pretty much bathed in Deep woods Off. August the dragon flies were big and aggressive. Plus bats were plentiful in the evenings.

Ticks have been getting worse here the last few years.

Also noticed Pelicans were ranging further west this year. Saw some 50-60 kms west of Edmonton for the first time.

And those huming bird moths have been seen more this last few weeks.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Winnipegger reading this ... you mean, like, per minute?

LOL. Ya they're probably used to it. Or like people up in Muskoka also having to deal with black flies the size of hummingbirds.

But there was a few week stretch that you didn't want to be outside by the fire after 7pm. I came off the water from fishing at 9pm once, which I have done several times, and the mosquitoes were relentless. But I had to pack up the boat and load shit so no choice but to battle through. That had never happened before.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

My fiancée and I moved into an older home in west Hamilton in the spring, blocks away from the Escarpment. Our yards were full of plants, and we've added many more of our own. The variety of pollinating insects has been interesting to watch... including this guy (with a few more stripes on its tail than in the photo) that appeared one night in June during a socially-distanced visit of some friends:


Image source

We all thought it was a hummingbird. Same flight characteristics, same behaviours around flowers, made a light buzzing noise as it flew and hovered for quite a while around potted plants we have.

I saw it again a few days later and realized it was not a bird. Fooled us all!

I had no idea there was a creature called a Hummingbird Moth.

I'm not sure if I'd sit back and admire it or grab the swatter and destroy it simply because it's called a moth. I just did away with a big moth that sneaked into my house.