Today in my garden, I spotted what I thought was a hummingbird. I was thrilled that it hung around long enough for me to run inside to get my camera. I was even more excited that it waited while I deleted old photos. Yes, it was at that very moment, while this little creature flitted from flower to flower, that I discovered I needed to delete my old photos in order to take new ones. I succeeded in doing that, all the while watching this bizarre little creature.
I caught it, though, with my camera. As I cropped my photos, I couldn’t help but marvel at its strange appearance. I knew I had to discover exactly what kind of hummingbird this was.
Lo and behold, I learned that it is not a hummingbird at all! It’s a moth. Yes, that’s right. It’s called Hemaris Thysbe and it drinks nectar like butterflies and hummingbirds. It hops from flower to flower just like a hummingbird and lives mostly within the Eastern United States.
I was a little disappointed. Okay, a lot disappointed when I first realized my prized hummingbird was no hummingbird at all. Then I thought about all the amazing things I had encountered that were very different from what I originally thought they were. Make sense? It’s like wanting a purebred dog, but getting a mutt instead … a mutt who in turn becomes the greatest pet you’ve ever loved. It’s like having to take a flight instead of a cruise, only to discover that Hurricane Denise is barreling through the Bahamas.
It’s like all the answered prayers you weren’t hoping for--or expecting, but they turned out to be the best for you and yours. This … Hemaris Thysbe or Hummingbird Moth isn’t my Hummingbird. He’s not especially beautiful, nor is he gracefully built, but he was the coolest thing to see and he impressed my kids. He gave me a memory and a good one.
I caught it, though, with my camera. As I cropped my photos, I couldn’t help but marvel at its strange appearance. I knew I had to discover exactly what kind of hummingbird this was.
Lo and behold, I learned that it is not a hummingbird at all! It’s a moth. Yes, that’s right. It’s called Hemaris Thysbe and it drinks nectar like butterflies and hummingbirds. It hops from flower to flower just like a hummingbird and lives mostly within the Eastern United States.
I was a little disappointed. Okay, a lot disappointed when I first realized my prized hummingbird was no hummingbird at all. Then I thought about all the amazing things I had encountered that were very different from what I originally thought they were. Make sense? It’s like wanting a purebred dog, but getting a mutt instead … a mutt who in turn becomes the greatest pet you’ve ever loved. It’s like having to take a flight instead of a cruise, only to discover that Hurricane Denise is barreling through the Bahamas.
It’s like all the answered prayers you weren’t hoping for--or expecting, but they turned out to be the best for you and yours. This … Hemaris Thysbe or Hummingbird Moth isn’t my Hummingbird. He’s not especially beautiful, nor is he gracefully built, but he was the coolest thing to see and he impressed my kids. He gave me a memory and a good one.
1 comment:
Well, even if he isn't a hummingbird, that's a pretty cool picture.
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