It's a little unlikely, I know, but last night the dharma bum posted pictures of a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth he caught feeding on his petunias. His pictures are quite good. We also were visted by a similar creature last night at about midnight. Ours was a White-Lined Sphinx, or Striped Morning Sphinx, moth (Hyles lineata). We also caught ours sampling our purple petunias on the back porch.

We've seen these hummingbird/hawk/sphinx moths quite a few times since we moved to our current 5-acre semi-rural home. They seem to be a big fan of petunias. The first time I saw one, I was torn between wanting to touch it and wanting to run away screaming. They are strange critters to see for the first time. They are apparently quite impressive in their caterpillar phase too.

ADDENDUM:

He's back tonight, and B was ready for a better photo. Purple petunias are apparently irresistible.