An insect to photograph!

Five-spotted hawk moth (Manduca quinquemaculata)
Thank you, Maury Helman, for the I.D. via Bugguide.net.

Yes, finally, something buggy to photograph! We spotted this sphinx moth on our front screen door this morning, and it was still there this afternoon. Camera time! Alas, I've had little to photograph this summer due to our drought. There have been very few butterflies, too, and experts are worried about monarchs this fall when they migrate through Texas. Our monarch friend, Skip Kiphart in Boerne forwarded this info from Dr. Lincoln Brower with Journey North/Journey South:

"As monarchs migrate through Texas and northern Mexico on their way to the overwintering sites, they spend considerable time building up their fat reserves by drinking the sugar-laden nectar from wildflowers. By the time they reach the Mexico overwintering sites, this sugar is converted to fat and the bodies of the butterflies are practically butterballs. To fuel winter survival and the migration back into the US the following spring, the butterflies gradually draw down these fat reserves. I am extremely concerned that the terrible drought this year in Texas and northern Mexico will have such a negative impact on the wildflowers that the butterflies will have a rough time building up their fat reserves and many more than usual will die of starvation."

We've had gray skies and some raindrops today. But that's been it so far. Still, Thank You, Lord!