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| Family | Hawk Moths (Sphingidae) | Wingspan | 1.25-2”, 32-50mm |
| Season | Spring and Summer | Food Plants | Nectar from lantanas, honeysuckles, thistles, verbena, lavendar, and other plants. |
| Habitat | Gardens, parks and fields. | ||
When this creature is first seen, it can be quite confusing. It defies categorization -- seeming at once to be a tiny bird but not or an insect but not. It is also sometimes called a Bummble Bee Moth or Hummingbird Moth. If you are lucky enough to see one, you’ll know exactly why. The Snowberry Clearwing is a bumble bee mimic but it does not land to feed as bees do. It hovers like a humingbird while feeding and is often mistaken for one. In fact, this insect is sometimes the only non avian listed in bird books. In North America, there are three species of Hemaris -- diffinis (Snowberry Clearwing), thysbe (Hummingbird Clearwing), and gracilis (Slender Clearwing). They can be distinguished by markings on the transparent wings and by the colors of the legs. They usually have a bushy little tail that resembles a lobster’s. |
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add image to lightboxReferences
Evans, Arthur V. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. New York: Sterling, 2008.
Acorn, John. Bugs of Northern Californa. Renton: Lone Pine, 2002.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/2637/bgpage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemaris