Today’s post features some images I captured over the weekend of a White-lined Sphinx Moth, in the church butterfly garden. While weeding and deadheading the flowers, this rather large guy flew in and worked on the cascading butterfly bush for some time, allowing me to grab the camera out of the car and catch a few images.

The Sphinx Moth is also know as Hawk Moths, and there are about 50 species found in Missouri. Sphinx moth caterpillars are often called hornworms, because they usually have a stiff, pointy horn on the rear end. They often rest with the thorax raised into the air and the head tilted downward, which reminded people of the posture of sphinx statues from ancient Egypt and elsewhere.

Here are a few of my favorite images:

As I await the Monarch migration (should start soon), I’m enjoying all the other nectar-seekers that are visiting!

Photographic Equipment Used:

• Canon 5D Mark 3 camera body
• Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens
• Handheld, with IS “On”
• ISO 800 and ISO 3200
• Aperture f/6.7 and f/16
• Shutter 1/1000 sec. to 1/3000 sec.