Hummingbird Clear Wing Moth Business Card

Hummingbird Clearwing Moths (Hemaris thysbe) are said to be common in the eastern USA and even into Canada. I just love them, but they’ve been eerily absent in our yard for quite a few years. This year they are back in good numbers, loving the Bee Balm. I think they look more like miniature crayfish then hummingbirds, but they hover over flowers (a few seconds at each one) sipping nectar and fly like hummingbirds. They are well over an inch long, fuzzy, and appear not to mind if I “hover” nearby to try to capture them in a picture. They are daytime fliers, unlike most other moths, but we have seen them (rarely) at artificial light at night. They are sphinx moths.