The thistle flowers at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge again turned out to be irresistible to insects. Previously I photographed several butterfly species gathering nectar from the thistle—see my recent posting Butterflies and Thistle). This past Friday, a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) flew by me as I was approaching a thistle patch and I managed to snap off a few photos before it flew away.
I love how the first photo shows the transparency of the wings of this beautiful insect. My camera shutter speed for the shot was 1/2000 second, which was fast enough to freeze all of the wing motion as the moth hovered in the air. It is cool how clearly you can see the thistle through those clear wings.
The second image, which was actually taken before the first one, shows the moth as it was first approaching the thistle. I believe that it was just beginning to unfurl its long proboscis, which it extends to suck out the nectar and then curls up tightly when it is flying.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great shots! You froze the movement beautifully so that you can see through those wings! Awesome!
They move so fast. The side shot is interesting showing the white underside. I don’t think I have ever seen that before. Lovely.
Very nice Hummingbird Moth images Mike! Enjoyed seeing them!
These were such exquisite photos, Mike. Your ability to photograph this super speedy moth astounds me. Clearwing 1: I love love love how the thistle is seen THROUGH the wing. That’s a phenomenon that rarely happens in this world, because few creatures have transparent features. Clearwing 2: The unfurling of the proboscis is fantastic. An action that happens in a nano-second. Great colors and clarity in both. A real treat, my friend.
Stunning. Aren’t thistles photogenic? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of one that doesn’t look gorgeous.
Terrific photographs, Mike!
One of my favorite species to encounter. And, big surprise, usually on a thistle.
I saw my first ever hummingbird moth in my petunias a couple weeks ago. I had never seen one before! 🙂 Very cool pics
They are everywhere here! 😂
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