Five Spotted Hawkmoth

This was a chance meeting. My driveway washed out due some heavy rains. While I was working my husband came home (works out of town) to straighten out the driveway. He called me and said we had something unusual at the 4 o'clocks. I am trying to tell him over the phone how to use my D-SLR. Which was fairly comical in itself, since he doesn't use a camera at all.Well, he was not successful. Neither was I the first night I was there at dusk.
For some reason my 4 o'clocks don't open at 4PM, but at dusk. And that is when this moth shows up. Every night apparently....at dusk.

The very worse time for photographing anything that won't stay still longer than a second.

But I did capture enough photographs to send off to Hap for his advise. I told Hap I thought it was a Carolina Sphinx. I was close in appearance, but wrong. And once Hap said it is a Five Spotted Hawkmoth I see the differences.

I don't know if this moth just comes out at night, or if it just wants the 4 o'clocks and doesn't like any of the other flowers that I have. But I have not seen it at any other time. There we were at dusk, sitting in the lawn chairs waiting on the 4 o'clocks to open. They open and less than 2 minutes later the moth shows up. What internal clocks they must have. Or kind of like when the bird feeder is empty and you fill it and instantly you have a backyard full of birds.

It was a wonderful experience and one of those times for the memory bank.

Moths

First, all of these moths are dead.
Jimmy found them close to the brick plant and brought them to me.

The first one looks like a Columbia Silkmoth to me.

The other two I don't have a clue.
Notice the camouflage appearance of the last one.

If interested, watch for Hap's comment,
because I think he will come and id them for us.

Underside of all 3.
Look how much larger the first one is.

Update: The first one is a Cecropia Moth, the second one is a female Dobsonfly, and the third one is a Pandorus Sphinx Moth. Thanks for all the comments.

Clearwing Moth

Ok, it is a Clearwing Moth.

But is it a Hummingbird Clearwing or a Snowberry Clearwing?Naturally it liked the zinnia blooms that were beyond their peak.
This is the first time I have seen one in person, and I cannot tell which it is.
He did finally move to better looking bloom.
I am posting every one I took, in hopes somebody can tell me which one it is.

So which is it?

No matter what, I know for sure I have to stop whining about the lack of volume of butterflies this year. I am seeing some special butterflies and moths.

UPDATE: These are the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. Click here to view a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. Click here to view a Snowberry Clearwing Moth. Notice how red looking the Hummingbird Moth is.

Polyphemus Moth

Ten days ago when I met Jimmy for lunch he told me there was a huge moth at the plant and I needed to stop back by there to photograph it. Well, after lunch it was still in the same spot. It was alive, but not doing too well. I don't know what to do with a moth so after I photographed it we left it there, with intend of Jimmy getting it late that night if it was still there. It's predators had found it by then, and it was in pieces.

My main reference book (National Audobon Field Guide to Butterflies) does not include moths, so I grabbed the little Golden Guide from St Martin's Press "Butterflies and Moths". Right there it was, and it said...Polyphemus Moth, perhaps the commonest giant silk moth, was named after the one-eyed giant Polyphemus of Greek mythology because of the large eyespots on the hindwings.

Jimmy couldn't stand it, he had to measure it.

Hap from New Hope recommends "Butterflies of North America by Kenn Kaufman & Jim Brock and Butterflies through Binoculars-The East by Jeffrey Glassberg. Two nice guides to help with ID's." They will be on my wish list, maybe Jimmy will see a note laying around that I want these. :)

Earlier this week Jimmy told me he had me 2 dead moths that he was bringing home from the plant. One ended out to be a Tiger Swallowtail (he doesn't begin to know ids, he just likes), the other I have not id'd yet. He says the new plant is full of butterflies and moths. Maybe that is where all our butterflies are this year. They also have bats flying around in there.