A gardener noticed something unexpected in their yard recently and posted a short video of it to r/NativePlantGardening.
"First time seeing one! Very cool," they wrote.
The video showed a sphinx moth feeding on a milkweed flower. Milkweed is a beneficial wildflower native to North America and also attracts monarch butterflies and bumble bees.
Sphinx moths are a large family, encompassing more than 1,400 species. Their ability to hover, as seen in this video, often has them compared to hummingbirds. Thanks to their extra-long tongues, these moths are perfect for pollinating long floral tubes, such as those on milkweeds.
The challenge with sphinx moths is that they start as hornworm caterpillars, which gobble up crops as they grow. This has spurred gardeners and farmers to apply pesticides to rid their lands of these insects, even though sphinx moths are highly beneficial to reproducing plant life once they've matured. Besides, deterring hornworms is possible with smart companion planting.
Native plants are the perfect home for pollinators. Pollinator populations have been dropping precipitously because of pesticide use and temperature increases, but a wild garden can give them the space to thrive.
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A garden full of native plants does more than just support pollinators. Since native species evolved for their climates, they require little maintenance, which means less watering and lower bills as a result. Deep and varied root systems help them hold soil and moisture, which prevents erosion and flooding.
The community shared the original poster's excitement for the garden visitor.
"I saw the first one of the year on my milkweed today too! Very cool!" one user said.
"I would fall over dead of excitement to see that at my garden," another wrote.
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