Jun 21, 2012


by Lorraine Julien

Photo: Hummingbird Moth  by Jack Alexander.

Have you recently noticed little flying insects that look like bumblebees but fly like hummingbirds? Chances are you had a visit from the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. Some people think they are baby hummingbirds but baby hummingbirds do not fly. If you look closely you’ll see what look like tiny feathers on the top of its head, but these are not feathers – they’re antennae. Another clue that this is not a bumblebee is that this moth will probably not let you get close enough for a second look but, instead, will zip away at the speed of light. These moths are becoming more widespread in North America ranging from Newfoundland to British Columbia and even our far north.

Because of their sporadic and speedy flight habits, it’s not easy to get clear photographs but we were lucky to receive this great picture from one of our readers.

The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth is only one of four species of these day-flying moths in North America but this particular moth is more prevalent in the east. In our area, they were only here for a week or so but perhaps they’ll be back as more flowers are blooming. What an interesting and beautiful visitor to the garden!

The Hummingbird Clearwing is actually a member of the Sphingidae (Sphinx) moth family and closely resembles hummingbirds in its feeding habits. Its scientific name is Hemaris thysbe. Instead of a long beak, this moth uses a coiled tube that extends out of its mouth to feed, then rolls back up and out of the way. This little tube works much like a straw to sip the nectar from the flowers. With the long tube, the moths are able to extract nectar from flowers like honeysuckles, bee balm, phlox, verbena, lilacs, butterfly bushes and snowberries. Some nectar is inaccessible to many other flower visitors, so it seems that certain flowers prefer these long tongued pollinators.

Hummingbird Clearwings are rather plump but tapered at both ends. The tail opens into a fan shape, which looks similar to the tail of a shrimp or lobster, if you use your imagination! The ones we saw were an orange-yellow colour with black markings - very similar to a bee.

Unlike other moths, which fly at night, the hummingbird moth flies during the day but can still be quite active at dusk. They usually inhabit fields, the edge of forests and flower gardens. They do not stay at any one flower for a length of time but dart quickly from flower to flower.

The Hummingbird Clearwing is sometimes associated with the Tomato Hornworm moth, another member of the Sphinx family, but, while Tomato Hornworms have a bad reputation due to their appetite for tomatoes, eggplant, potato and green pepper plants, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth stays away from such garden produce.

After mating, tiny green eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves in early spring. They hatch into larvae that have a distinctive horn on the rear. The caterpillars that evolve feed on the leaves of specific fruit trees such as plum or cherry trees; other favourites are honeysuckle, snowberry and hawthorn. During this feeding time their green colour acts as a perfect camouflage. When they are fully grown, they drop to the ground and spin a loose, dark brown cocoon and pupate, partially protected by leaf litter. Caterpillars emerge as beautiful moths that can be seen flying from May usually through until July.

Those messy leaves that a lot of gardeners hate actually provide shelter for this beautiful pollinator. If you haven’t see one this spring, keep an eye out next May or June – you may be lucky to find a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth in your own backyard!

 

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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