Is it a bird or a butterfly or a moth?

[Kitty]

No photos available, I'm afraid.  But this week, I was sitting on a veranda with friends (in France) and a moth-like creature, starting sucking pollen out of a potted floral plant with a 1" long slender 'hose'.  It flitted from flower to flower, often losing the some of droplets of pollen in the air.

What is it?

What does it do with the pollen?

[Clair]

One of those?

(http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/HylesLivor.htm)

[thunderhorse]

We get dozens of them - hummingbird hawk moth. Beautiful and harmless (a bit like me...) [:D]

[chris pp]

Or it could be one of these, a bit difficult to photograph, sorry.

[IMG]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q73/unautremonde/Oddments/Moth1.jpg[/IMG]

Chris

[Weedon]

If it had only paused for a while I might have been able to take better pictures. Nice Proboscis though!

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/weedonwite/HawkMoth8.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/weedonwite/HawkMoth5.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/weedonwite/HawkMoth11.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/weedonwite/HawkMoth10.jpg[/IMG]

 

 

[mattjazz]

I hope these work.

[IMG]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx68/mattjazz2000/Image1.jpg[/IMG]

 

[IMG]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx68/mattjazz2000/Image2.jpg[/IMG]

 

Matt