Rare visitor seen on North Yorkshire Coast

This Hummingbird hawk moth was seen feeding on red valerian by an eagle-eyed reader from Ossett.

A daylight moth that looks like an insect from a fantasy film, the Hummingbird hawk moth flourishes in hot weather but seldom survives the northern winter.

The moth is equipped with an incredibly long proboscis, as long as the moth itself, which it uses to extract nectar from the host plant.

This incredible animal makes an arresting sight when first seen.

It looks nothing like nearby butterflies and it’s strange to see a moth flying in broad daylight.

Listen closely, and you can hear the moth ‘hum’ as it makes its way like a miniature spaceship across the garden visiting every flower for a drink of nectar.

Hummingbird hawk moths have been seen as a good omen.

On the 6th June 1944 as the Allies were landing at Normandy, a swarm were spotted crossing the English Channel.

As we face challenging times maybe we can take the sighting of this remarkable creature as a good sign.