With temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, we ignored our better judgment and visited the National Arboretum in D.C., in search of butterflies to photograph. At the Washington Youth Garden, the flowers were attracting many Eastern Tiger Swallowtails Papilio glaucus, but the most interesting bug was not a butterfly at all! This Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe, a sphingid moth, was feeding low to the ground, moving from flower to flower without alighting - just like a hummingbird! I struggled to get this flight shot, as I couldn’t focus the macro lens quickly enough for this moving target.
After following it between the flowers for a few minutes, I noticed that between feeding forays, the clearwing would retreat deep into the dark undergrowth and rest for a while on some thick plant stems, close to the ground. I was able to get this shot by getting down on my hands and knees and angling the flash appropriately.
I’ve occasionally seen the related Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum in Europe, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen a diurnal-flying sphingid like this in North America. Four species of Hemaris clearwing are found in North America. The best information I could find on distinguishing them is on this very informative site, the Butterflies and Moths of North America. Based on the information provided there, and considering the geographic ranges of the four species, this would appear to be Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing.
Great shots. And you are very lucky that one was sitting down!
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