We called them "hummingbird moths" when I was a kid. Because they looked and flew like hummingbirds. Although these moths didn't usually come out until evening, and spent most of their time sucking nectar out of the four o'clocks.

Wasn't 'til I became a "professional" that I learned the real name for these gorgeous insects was "sphinx moths", or "hawk moths".

'Course there is a species of hawk moth called the "hummingbird hawk moth", but it isn't anything I grew up with.

Turns out sphinx moths also like the nectar from rabbitbrush:

I called the wife into the office to show off that photo.

"How many shots did it take to get that?" she asks. "Fifty?"

Don't know... let me check. And I start counting all the bright yellow thumbnail images, and subtract 4 for the ones at the end that were just pictures of rabbitbrush flowers.

Total was 66 photos.

"Isn't digital wonderful?" she asks.