As I was searching for dragonflies yesterday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, I noticed an unusually large bumblebee and started to give chase. When it landed and I moved in close, it became clear that it was not a bumblebee after all—it was a clearwing moth.
I have seen clearwing moths in the past of the the variety commonly known as Hummingbird Clearwing Moths (Hemaris thysbe), but they have generally been hovering like a hummingbird rather than perching like this one and their wings were outlined in red, not black. It took only a few minutes of internet research to discover that this is a Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis).
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Huge!! Amazing…
Good catch, Mike! The name of the moth makes me wonder, what is a snowberry?
Your posts are very impressive. Not only do we get to view beautiful and unusual creatures, we get a science/nature lesson also. Most of us hardly get to see these creatures, let alone up close and personal. Thank you Michael for your wonderful gift of patience that lets us see these marvels.
Wow, what a beauty!! Well done, Mike.
Thanks, Camilla.
Not a species I’ve heard of Mike, very unusual.
It’s amazing how many species there are out there. As a result, I often have to look really carefully at my photos, because sometimes my identification in the field turns out to be wrong. It is also cool to see your photos of “relatives” of the species that are familiar to me.