Moths can often be thought of as butterflies of the night. I am used to seeing them fluttering around lights in the darkness. However earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to capture a couple of moths that made some daylight appearances.

The first one, a white-lined sphinx moth, was a first sighting for me. In fact when I initially went to Butterflies and Moths of North America's checklist for Venango County on www.butterfliesandmoths.org, the white-lined sphinx wasn't listed. It was listed for Clarion County.

An ID confirmation on the Facebook page Butterflies and Moths of Pennsylvania, solidified my best guess.

At first I thought this cool creature would leave the yard before I got a good photo. My first photo attempt was just its behind hanging out of a day lily.

Luckily, it took a liking to some verbena in a hanging basket.
 According to butterfliesandmoths.org, the adult moths usually fly at dusk, during the night, and at dawn, but they will also fly during the day.
I think I have seen one visiting the garden on a camera that I set up. However  when viewed in night vision with no color, it was a little hard to confirm an identity.
The moth's range includes most of the United States.
Its caterpillar host plants include "A great diversity of plants including willow weed, four o'clock, apple, evening primrose, elm, grape, tomato, purslane, and Fuchsia," the website posted.
The adults sip nectar from a variety of plants as well including columbines, larkspurs, petunia, honeysuckle, moonvine, bouncing bet, lilac, clovers, thistles, and Jimson weed, according to the site. 

Also in the family Sphingidae which includes sphinx moths and hawkmoths, is the hummingbird clearwing moth.
These visit my flowers yearly. This year I managed to get a shot of two hummingbird clearwings in one photo. I normally only have one feeding at a time. They were again drawn to the bee balm which turned out to be successful bait for luring both moths and butterflies.

Posts on various Facebook pages referred to the moths as flying shrimp and I too saw  the resemblance.

The region is also home to the snowberry clearwing moth.  
I have in the past observed one or two snowberry clearwing moths, but nothing this year so far. They have a slightly different appearance than the hummingbird moth. They sport a longer black eye band and usually have legs that are dark to black in color. The hummingbird moth's legs are usually light to white in color.
I think I have one photo of a snowberry and I couldn't locate it for this post.

Just recently, I observed and epic aerial battle between an imperial moth and a female red-winged blackbird.
I'm pretty sure the moth got away, but in the vast darkness of the shop ceiling it was hard to say.
The blackbirds also have learned that many moths don't make it out of the shop alive. The birds arrive in the morning to clean up the victims or to dispatch some of the weary stragglers still swarming the lights.

A much better environment for both moths and butterflies is the garden.
The cone-flowers keep bringing 'em in. They lure butterflies ranging from swallowtails to fritillaries. Sometimes there are even two at a time.

It has been so awesome to have colorful blossoms popping up in the garden. I am thrilled to host the "flying flowers" that come in all different hues. I absolutely love it when the two come together.

I went out to photograph my first sunflower of the season. I was so excited to have a fritillary butterfly on the sunflower posing for me. I was shocked. This rarely happens. Usually I grab the camera wait, and wait, and wait, and finally give up. Then as soon as I am without the camera, I spot them posing perfectly on a posy. That's just the nature of things 'round here.

It also got a photo of a poor buck who couldn't catch a break. Months ago the cameras captured an altercation between two bucks. One ended up with an injured horn. It turns out the horn is still hanging on there. I have dubbed this guy as the "broken horn" buck.

I was able to catch a break when a few butterflies paused long enough for photos. The fritillaries  have been visiting the garden.

Spicebush swallowtails have been flitting back and forth. I have seen several over the past few weeks.

A mourning cloak found a resting place on a doggy "deposit."

Butterflies weren't the only ones pausing for photos. A pondhawk dragonfly stopped for a moment to enjoy a sunny perch.

I would occasionally take breaks during our walks to capture some native plants in bloom. The blooms of whorled loosestrife while tiny are still very interesting and detailed.

Other small native blooms include. The blossoms of spotted wintergreen were a little hard to get in focus. I ended up trying to lay on the forest floor to get a shot.

I have been trying to wait patiently for blooms on the native orchid called downy rattlesnake plantain. I missed the blossoms last year and hope to get a photo this year.

Native flowers weren't the only thing making me pause for photos. The gazanias were still showing off.

The bee balm has been living up to its moniker. There are at least two or more bees feeding on it daily.

 Also pausing at the neighbor's pond were some phoebes. It seemed like there the adults were there teaching the fledglings how to hunt bugs.

Meanwhile in my parents' yard, a male bluebird paused to do some self care or preening.

My dad reported that both the male and female have been very busy feeding their young in a nesting box in my parents' yard.