Amanda Preece photographed the creature in her garden, showcasing its unique features.
With greyish-brown forewings, bright orange hindwings, and a greyish body with a broad, black-and-white tail, the hummingbird hawk-moth is known for its distinctive hovering flight, which resembles that of a hummingbird.
The moth, a summer visitor to the UK, migrates from Southern Europe and varies in numbers each year.
In some years, it becomes a common sight in gardens, drawn to the nectar of honeysuckle, red valerian, and other flowers.
It is also found along woodland edges, heathland, and scrub.
The moth’s caterpillars feed on various species of bedstraw, with female adult moths laying their eggs on the buds or flowers of these plants.
The hummingbird hawk-moth is frequently spotted in the south and near the coast.
Interestingly, it is the only ‘hummingbird’ in Europe, as real hummingbirds are native to the Americas.