The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth Lantana Flower Wildlife Art
by Reid Callaway
Title
The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth Lantana Flower Wildlife Art
Artist
Reid Callaway
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth...by Reid Callaway
Lantana Flower Wildlife Art
Many of you may never have seen one of these Hummingbird Clearwing Moths before so enjoy this one as it feeds on a Lantana flower.
Hemaris thysbe, the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae (hawkmoths). Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.
Hemaris thysbe is found in a large portion of North America, with a range extending from Alaska to Oregon in the west and from Newfoundland to Florida in the east. It is a migratory species and is most common in southern Ontario and the eastern United States. H. thysbe has two broods a year in the southern portion of its range, but only one in the north. As a caterpillar, it feeds on honeysuckle, dogbane,[1] and several types of fruit trees.
At first sight, it’s easy to mistake a hummingbird moth for a tiny hummingbird. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, hovering with the body stationary, its transparent wings beating so fast as to be nearly invisible, and a long proboscis protruding beaklike into the blossom. In flight, the wings create a soft buzzing, also like a hummingbird.
Hummingbird moths are members of the sphinx moth family (Sphingidae), which have heavy bodies and long front wings. The wings of hummingbird moths are clear, with a black or brown border, and are nearly invisible when they fly. Males have a flared “tail” like that of a hovering hummingbird.
One obvious difference between the birds and the moths is size. The ruby-throated hummingbird can be 3” long. Hummingbird moths are much smaller at 1-1/2” long.
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Uploaded
December 30th, 2019
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Viewed 472 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/24/2024 at 4:14 AM
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Comments (5)
Reid Callaway
Thank you Barbara for admiring my artwork and for making this image one of your personal Favorites! 2/18/2021
Barbara Donovan
Wonderful shot! capture I've only seen a few of these in my lifetime. L/F and followed.