Clearwing Humming Bird Moth

I couldn't believe my luck having this Clearwing Humming Bird Moth perch on yarrow, right next to me. They never sit still, as you can see it's wings vibrating. There are four species of hummingbird moths in North America. This is a Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis). Unlike most moths, Hummingbird moths fly during the day. They fly and move just like hummingbirds. Like them, they can remain suspended in the air in front of a flower while they unfurl their long tongues and insert them in flowers to sip their nectar. They even emit an audible hum like hummingbirds. Like most moths they have a very long tongue which they carry rolled under their chins and that they use to reach the nectar of long-necked flowers. Hummingbird moths are members of the sphinx moth family (Sphingidae), which have heavy bodies and long front wings. The wings of hummingbird moths are clear, with a black or brown border, and are nearly invisible when they fly. Males have a flared tail like that of a hovering hummingbird.
This photo won Photo of the Day for January 13, 2017 on Capture My Vermont and was featured on January 10th, 2017, on Treehugger.com

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