*****

*(Mariposa esginge colibri-Hummingbird Hawk Moth)

Devolve-me o livro da alma
que há muito me tomaste -
esfinge minha -
pois tu, somente tu, o escreves:
concedes-me a palavra por escudo
enquanto me devoras na entrelinha.

Fernando Campanella


*The Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is a species of Sphingidae, hawk moth with a long proboscis, which regularly hovers, making an audible humming noise. These two features make it look remarkably like a hummingbird when it feeds on flowers; it is theorised that this is a result of convergent evolution. It flies during the day, especially in bright sunshine, but also at dusk, dawn, and even in the rain, which is unusual for even diurnal hawkmoths. Its visual abilities have been much studied, and it has been shown to have a relatively good ability to learn colours.