Spotted Oleander Moth on Angraecum Crestwood flower

[Cjcorner]

I guess this confused little guy thinks he's big enough to get some nectar. He was having a fit crawling about and trying to figure this strange flower out.

[cdayinflorida]

Love it!

[Naoki]

Nice pictures, Connie.
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[pavel]

Poor little guy went away hungry...

[Daethen]

Poor baby. You are a big meanie for tempting him with the unreachable goal.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Love the photos. That little guy had the right intentions, just not the right equipment. haha...

cheers,
BD

[Phillip C]

Too bad for the moth, but beautiful flower.

Thanks for sharing,

Phillip C

[Dorsetman]

I wonder how big Xanthopan morganii praedicta is ? The moth with the very long tongue which pollinates Ang. sesquipedale ? A 10 inch tongue does not necessarily mean a 10 inch moth , since it carries its tongue coiled up like a watch spring !
Actually, I stopped at the end of the sentence above and searched it out ; it seems that it is a hawk moth, looks to be about 5 inches wingspan - which would be about the size of our largest moths in UK ( which are also hawk moths) . In my brief research I also discovered that although the pollinia get stuck to the head of the moth, they are not released until the tongue reaches the end of that long nectary, so it really does need that moth - a wannabee having a go and aflling short, will not do the trick ; I wonder what the mechanism is - doesn't seem to be mainly mechanical as it is with catasetums,maybe its removal of some of the nectar which is the trigger, by a protein chain thing.

[Jef09071984]

hehehehe poor insect, caugth it the beauty of the plant.

[nen]

I agree with all the above comments. Very nice to see Thanks for sharing the photos!