Nessus Sphinx (Hummingbird Moth)

Description:

Body is stout; abdomen has 2 bright yellow bands and a tuft at the end. Upperside of wings is dark red-brown. Hindwing has a red-orange median band and a yellow spot on the costal margin; in some moths the median band ranges from pale to almost absent. Wing Span: 1 7/16 - 2 3/16 inches (3.7 - 5.5 cm). Life History: Adults fly during the day and at dusk. Caterpillars pupate in shallow underground chambers. Flight: . Several broods in Florida and Louisiana from February-September, two broods in coastal South Carolina from March-May and July-September, and one brood in New York and northward from April-July.

Habitat:

Forests, streamsides, and suburbs.

Notes:

Nectar from flowers including lilac (Syringa vulgaris), herbrobert (Geranium robertianum), beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis), mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius), and Phlox.