I love to photograph birds and I love to photograph insects, so what could possibly be better than photographing an insect that looks and acts like a bird? Last week I was observing a patch of flowers at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge when I spotted what looked like a large bee. As I got closer, I realized that it was a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe).
Like a hummingbird, this insect hovers as it gathers nectar from flowers. Instead of a long skinny beak, though, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth uses its long proboscis to get to the nectar. As the second photo shows, the moth curls up its proboscis when it is not in use—in this case, the moth was preparing to fly off to another flower.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Delightful. I just posted a photo of a white-lined sphinx moth and its caterpillar this morning. No matter the species, I think they’re all amazing, and you got some great photos.
Oh, these are beautiful photos, Mike. I never knew there was such a moth.
Thanks, Dan. In addition to the one I featured, there is a similar one called the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. I remember my excitement the first time I saw one of these insects. Wow. There are so many cool things in nature that are fun to discover and share with others.
Cracking shots! Well done Mike.
Wonderful shots Mike! These are not always easy to get.
I know that you can appreciate how tough it is to capture them in a decent position, Pete. They do hover, which helps a bit, but they don’t remain very long at any one flower, so there is not too much time to think about composition.
If memory serves me correctly, it often does not, it was sometime in July of last year that you had a post that featured the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. I remember commenting that Benjamin and I had seen the hummingbird moth. Looking at today’s photo, it seems to me that what we saw was this Hummingbird Clearwing Moth darting about some milk thistle blooms. As I view today’s magnificent photos, I now recall the red coloring on the wings, as Benjamin pointed out at the time. We have not seen any during our adventuring this year, so far. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
I think you have an almost perfect recollection. If I am lucky, I see one of the clearwing moths a couple of times a year, usually in July. Most of the times it is a Hummingbird Moth, but last year I think it was a Snowberry Moth that I saw. They are so much fun to watch and I am thrilled to hear that Benjamin has had the chance to see one in action. As I recall, you have hummingbird feeders and he has seen actual hummingbirds as well.
Who knew?! Thanks for the continuing education.
I am always amazed by the things that I am able to observe and often spend a lot of time figuring out what it is that I have photographed. Most of my life I have been a literature guy, but despite myself I am learning a good deal about science.
It pays off not only for you, but for the rest of us too. Thank you.
Amazing shots, Mike! I never knew such insect existed.
Thanks, Chris. These little creatures are amazing. Most moths are drab little insects, but that is certainly not the case for the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth.
Great captures, Mike, that really show off the insect’s shape! We had a few around our patio last summer but so far haven’t seen one this year.
Thanks, Ellen. As you can probably imagine, it took quite a few shots for me to get ones with good body and wing positions. The Hummingbird Moth was semi-cooperative and made multiples passes, so I was eventually able to get decent shots.
Nice shots, Mike. These aren’t always the easiest of moths to photograph.
They move so quickly! Good job 😉