Hi Everyone:

Just wondering if you have ever seen this insect (wasp?) flying into your petunias (or any flower) before. It's the first time I've seen this one before and I wonder if it's aggressive or docile. They haven't bothered me at all but you never know. It's not a great picture but hopefully you can magnify it. Thanks!

Mike

I think it is a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Totally harmless unless you walk around outside full of pollen.
It is absolutely not any type of wasp, hornet or bee.

A fun and benign visitor! I've seen these @ WM before, visiting the Petunias!

I think that this moth has a severe Petunia Habit!!!
She is working on a '500 blossom a day habit'!!! I think that some rehab might be in order.
They are such a neat looking insect.
I had one last summer spend days visiting my Bee Balms, Monarda.

"So many flowers, so little time"!!!

Looks like a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) or similar species.
https://www.butterfliesandmoth...

Just a cute little moth!

I have a love/hate relationship with Petunias. I love them, they hate me. This pic makes me want to try again next year.

Petunias can be very tricky but a forum post that I read here 2 years ago has made it so much easier. I really adore them now, pretty much like I did when my Grandma introduced them to me 65 years ago.
Bless you Grannie!!

Yup, definitely some kind of hummingbird hawkmoth, a diurnal moth species that, at a first glance, resembles a hummingbird. We have them here in Europe and they're the closest we have to hummingbirds. Some people even mistake them for hummingbirds.

They're harmless and pretty nice to watch. It used to be a constant visitor at my mom's place when I still lived there and when we had petunias on our terrace. I've moved to a different location now and I've noticed it visiting my lantanas.

Thanks everybody! Eventually I'll read more on these interesting flyers but right now I'm enjoying watching them come and go into the cavity of my silver maple, located right near my deck. It's easy now that I know they won't sting me! Thanks again.

No one has said anything about their caterpillars yet.

DaisyI said:No one has said anything about their caterpillars yet.

There are enough people in a Facebook gardening group that I follow trying to wipe them from existence.

DaisyI said:No one has said anything about their caterpillars yet.

@DaisyI

I suspect that you are confusing the Hemaris genus with the Manduca genus.

This is NOT in the same genus as Tomato/Tobacco Hornworms (Manduca species).

According to Butterflies and Moths of North America page for Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe), "Caterpillar Hosts: Honeysuckle (Lonicera), snowberry (Symphoricarpos), hawthorns (Crataegus), cherries and plums (Prunus), and European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus). "

https://www.butterfliesandmoth...