how to attract hummingbird moths?

What can I plant to attract hummingbird moths? I tried doing a search but didn't quite find what I was looking for. I do have four o'clocks but that's the only attractant i know of. Is there anything special I should do with lighting?

Thanks,

Maggie

The one I saw was eating my milkweed. Karen

No it wasn't, sorry, it was eating http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/66647/index.html

It was really "eating" your Duranta, it was feeding on it. lol Everything seems to love my Duranta's too. They also love the Butterfly bushes and Datura's (sometimes called moonflowers). I've had them on my scabiosa's too. I think pretty much anything that is attractive to a butterfly will attract them.

Maggie,

Mine are on Salvia Black & Blue right now. They checked out the mexican petunias, red salvia, lipstick salvia, fuschia salvia, mexican sage, rudbeckia, and echinacea that the butterflies liked and turned their little noses up.

In South Florida they liked the pentas and only the pentas.

When I lived in Northern California they were crazy about the Mock Orange. Unfortunately I wasn't a plant nerd then so I'm not sure which of the many plants called "mock orange" I had.

If I remember right moths go by scent, too. The black & blue salvia were the closest to the blooming angels trumpet.......

plantnutga

Bat-faced Cuphea, Brugmansia, Datura, and Moonvine are the best for the nightmoths. Twinkle Toes Cuphea is what I get the Hummingbird Clearwings on daily

Maggie,
Since they are tomato hornworms, I thought I might get some tomato plants just for them to eat....Just a thought.

Debnes

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/639624/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/633109/
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/field/hornworm.htm

Oh CRUD!!!! I wasn't supposed to kill the hornworms???? Oh well, maybe next year. Wait till my DH hears I'm planting tomatoes for the hornworms- he'll think I've lost it.

Thanks for all the help everyone,

Maggie

Maggie

rofl maggie
That's not crazy, they have tp eat..just set some plants and move them to 'that section' when you see them, instead of outright killing them. Also there organic treatments to deter caterpillars on certain plants and keep some plants without it for the cats to munch on.

i'm learning so much in here.

Maggie, I planted cherry tomatoes in another part of the garden last year, and I think I'll have volunteer plants showing up there until the end of time.... that's where the hornworms get moved to, although if I'm ever really overwhelmed by them I'll start squishing again! I have to confess, I did squash a big one that bit me as I was carrying him across the yard.. I'll bet he's sorry! LOL

The hummingbird moths I've had in the past were happy with petunias and would come almost like clock work each evening. I usually only see one at a time though.

debnes_dfw_tx,

Well I do have plenty of volunteers from my worm bin. Enough tomatoes go bad around here (because they never actually get ripe) and go into the bin that I have plenty. I did kill the ones on the good tomatoes.

Maggie

There ya go Maggie...I'm glad ya shared all this, I have been mezmerized by these things for a few years now.. At first I actually thought they were humming'birds' (duh).. Such amazing creatures though. Some of the folks in here have some really great pictures of these things, I will just have to be patient for a (clear) pic of my own. All I have so far is a gray and pink blur or 2.

:o)
Debnes

And this poor thing with b wasp larve leaching on it.. If I had known what those ricey things were I would have plucked em all off..

There are different kinds of hummingbird or clearwing moths ... the one I love is called Hemaris thysbe ... this one flies in the daytime and it loves my phlox and butterfly bushes... definitely acts like a hummingbird ... also there are many different hornworms ... the ones I had on my tomatoes this year were tobacco hornworms (go figure) and would not turn into the moth I'm fond of but some other moth ... you have to research which hornworm you have to know what plants to move it to so it won't eat your tomatoes (voracious!) ... I think I could have moved the tobacco hornworms onto my nicotiana (tobacco plant) which were plentiful ...

Here's a picture (from BugGuide) of the moth I have in my garden ... according to what I've read, the hornworms of this moth would like viburnum and related plants ...

Not all hummingbird moths are tomato hornworms.

And basically any nectar plants that are suggested for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds are going to attract hummingbird moths because they feed on nectar. I've seen a hummingbird moth feeding on petunia's in a pot in front of a government building.

To target a specific moth - its best to find out what their larvae feed on and then plant that. Host plants for hummingbird moths are typically in the honeysuckle family.

So what time of evening is best to catch hummingbird moths at work? My neighbor has a 10 foot section of fence covered in moonflower that blooms every night. I'd love to see one of these beauties!

~Sunny

neat clearwing crockney, I can see why it's your fav.


??Y'all~
Is it true they only have one brood a year?

If i'm not too tired I might stake out my Moonvines again tonight and see if there is anything going on.. The flowers have been blooming like crazy the last few days.
Maggie~This site someone shared with me has a lot of pics of large moths>
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/
;oDeb

Thanks Deb, that looks like a great site! I'd love to attract a clearwing and a Luna Moth.

Maggie

The clearwing that comes to my garden is a daytime moth ...

True it is a daytime moth,(much easier to photograph too).
I have been studying them a lot, and I've found that many of the clearwings only produce 1 generation per year, and a few only 2, even rarer for them to produce more than 2 broods a year..
They are beautiful, and then when you find out what the larvae of some varieties eat, ....well.. >>."Not the Clemantis roots!!" etc lol.. Then it is the gardeners decision ...I would let them eat it, personally.
:-Deb

The hummingbird moths I entertain in my garden have prefered Flowering Tobacco every year I;ve observed them.

But, that's not to say that's all they like,

Sphinx in Moonflower:

This message was edited Sep 27, 2006 2:32 AM

Snacking on the Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine or Dolichos lablab.

Here's a couple of em in with 4 o'clocks.

But, 9 times out of 10 when I've oppurtunity to scout them out at dusk, they'll be found in the nicotiana.

Mine love Morning Glory Bush: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/52996/index.html

They seem most active in the morning (5 am to 8 am) at my house. I usually see 3 to 4 at a time.

Aggie,
What particular moth do you get, do you have a photo of one like it. Or better yet, a photo that you've taken?
I would love to see it.

Deb

I have some 4 O'Clocks, and they always attract night moths! Here's a pic:

Mark

They flocked to a large Mimosa in my sister's yard when we were at their house late one evening.

Are you getting any hummingbird moths yet Maggie? Or planted anything? So far Moonflower, Nicotianna, 4"Oclocks, Hyacinth Vine.

Im drying some seeds of Hyacinth Vine & have one rooted cutting. They make roots pretty quick in a water bottle. I will send you some seeds when they dry out if you like.

Deb

Thank you Deb, I'd love some. That photo is beautiful. There was an article on planting peas this coming month. I haven't planted any HB moth plants yet. Will get home from my conference today but the agenda will be potting all my rooted cuttings of milkweed.

Maggie

Deb -- If you have any hyacinth vine seeds left over, I'd love to have some! Maybe I could trade you something? I have lots of blackberry lilly seeds, black single hollyhock ... I have more but that's all I can think of right now ...

Sharron

Sure Sharron,
Dmail me with your address so I can send them when they dry out. Same for you Maggie, if you would like to have some too.

Deb

I thought I would put my 2 cents worth in here. My HM comes out around 8 or 9 at night. It flits between my yellow 4 oclocks, and my datura wrightii. I, too, thought it was a hummer, and really confused why it was out at night. It was moving its wings so fast, I could not even see it with my eyes, I just felt the breeze and watched the plants move. I took pictures and out of 30 or so only 2 showed up with one in it. (and they are not very good either) but I thought I would share, no laughing please!!

Kelly

here is the other one

My hummingbird moth LOVES golden dew drop. Karen