I was just about to wrap up a so-so bug-shooting session when unwittingly I walked right up to this either very unbothered or oblivious clearwing moth (thinking a Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe. I was going to call it “calm,” but it was doing the typical hovering about clusters of these tiny flowers on a large bush, so “calm” would be a inaccurate. I had some framings I like better than this shot but couldn’t quite get in focus.
Almost looks like a cross between a bird and a butterfly!
The resemblance to a hummingbird is even more striking when you see them live and in person. They hover at flowers and dart from one spot to another almost too quickly to follow; they appear to be the smallest hummingbird you’ve ever seen!