vermontliving

In Vermont, you’ll see many birds and insects in the warmer temperatures.  Right now, my lilacs are ending one of the flowering seasons they’ve ever had.  Some are saying it might be that we had a very snowy winter for a change, but whatever caused it, both my white and purple lilacs were covered in blooms.

We’ve had numerous bumblebees and hummingbirds frequent our feeders and the lilac bush.  I have one lilac that spreads like crazy and we’ve allowed it to encircle our back deck to provide a spot for birds to have privacy while eating from our feeders and to give us privacy from our neighbors.  Because of this we see a nice variety of birds and insects.  The pair of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds spend a lot of their time visiting the hummingbird feeder, while my favorite birds, the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks make their yearly springtime appearances.

Yesterday, I saw a hummingbird that I’d never seen before.  The thing had me completely baffled as it flitted from flower cluster to flower cluster.  First, it was the size of a bumblebee.  This seemed unusual, but it definitely flew like a hummingbird, so I became convinced it had to be a hummingbird.  A short while later, it reappeared, this time flying repeatedly into my house siding.  Concerned it was about to hurt itself, I managed to redirect it to the lilacs and realized it was hairy.  Hummingbirds are never hairy.  It turns out, there is this insect known as a hummingbird moth that is now frequenting my lilacs.

After a little research, I discovered that this completely mesmerizing creature comes from one of my most despised garden pests - the tomato horn worm.  This leads to a new problem.  I find the moths to be one of the prettiest insects around.  So do I continue killing tomato horn worms when they try to attack my tomato plants or relocate them?  It’s a tough call!