Silver-stripe on sandstone

I came upon this silver-striped hawk moth sunning on a sandstone rock and marveled at its unique beauty, the efficiency of its evolutionary design.

I read once that hawk moths were 'the underdog of the pollinator world' compared to the bees and butterflies.

Known for their ability to travel incredible distances and for their extremely long proboscises with which they dip in to the nectar at the same time picking up pollen. Research has shown that hawk moths can spread pollen from more than 29 km away as they travel along their feeding routes.

6cm wingspan