Critters Cool and Cunning

Last night we saw a hummingbird-sized moth drinking from the morning glories, at dusk. It was spectacular, huge with white diagonal stripes on its back. I'm pretty sure it was a White-lined Sphinx, Hyles lineata. This photo is from the informational site maintained by Bill Oehlke.

The other day I saw an unwelcome visitor: a groundhog (woodchuck, same thing) inside our fence. He was also too quick for me to get a photo. We've seen him and/or his relatives many times since we moved in, usually along the wooded edge of the tennis court. The old rusty fence had many openings, so he could move around the yard wherever he pleased. When faced with the new chain-link, he just dug his way under. He ran out as soon as he saw me, and I stuck some rocks in his little tunnels, but now I'll have to patrol that edge of the fence for varmint holes, Carl Spackler-style.