35 Snowberry Clearwing

Hemaris diffinis

Characteristics

Wingspan: 1.26–1.97 in (32–50 mm).

Flight season: March–August.

Nectar sources: Lantana, honeysuckle, snowberry, thistles, lilac.

Habitats: Meadows and gardens.

With its transparent wings, this swift-flying pollinator of the eastern United States looks more like a bumblebee than a moth. In fact, it is sometimes known as the bumblebee moth. Its thorax is olive-gold, and the abdomen is black and yellow, but its clear wings with black veins and a reddish-brown border are the moth’s most striking feature. Pollen becomes attached to hairs on the moth’s body as it visits flowers to drink nectar using its long proboscis. Popular nectar givers include lantanas, honeysuckles, snowberries, thistles, and lilacs.

Once the first adult clearwings emerge from cocoons in May or June, there is no break in activity. After mating, females lay their eggs on snowberries, honeysuckles, or dogbane. Green caterpillars hatch, then eat and grow for about a month, passing through several stages or instars before pupating in cocoons spun in leaf litter on the ground. Later, the summer’s second generation of adults takes to the wing and the cycle repeats, with their young overwintering as pupae.