Look closerInsects
Hummingbird moths: clearwing sphinx moths hovering at bee balm
When: June to August
That tiny hummingbird at the phlox may be a moth: clearwing sphinx moths hover in daylight with wings blurred to invisibility, sipping nectar through a long tongue exactly like the bird they mimic.
Why this time of year
New England gets one generation a year, flying through the warm months, so late August is the tail of the season: catch them at the bee balm and phlox before the flight ends.
How to notice it
- Stake out tube-shaped flowers on a warm day: bee balm, phlox, and honeysuckle are the sourced favorites.
- Look for the tell: hovering with the body dead still, a soft hum, and a visible tongue uncoiling into the flower.
- Size is the giveaway; it is much smaller than any hummingbird, with clear panels in its wings.
- It wears bee colors but has no stinger; the costume is the whole defense.
Try this with kids: Bird, bee, or moth? Watch it hover and make your call, then check the wings for clear windows.
a clearwing is a day-flying sphinx moth with see-through panels in its wings
Sources
- massaudubon.orgIn Massachusetts the two species likely encountered are the hummingbird clearwing, by far the most commonly seen, and the snowberry clearwing; they feed hovering with the body stationary, wings beating so rapidly they are nearly invisible and producing a soft buzzing; they emerge as moths in late spring or early summer to visit flowers during the warm months.
- nhaudubon.orgA day-flying moth that feeds from flowers while hovering and is often mistaken for a hummingbird; often seen around the bee balm, whose long tube-shaped flowers it seems to prefer; the very similar hummingbird clearwing occurs alongside it; the wings have clear glass-like areas.
- fs.usda.govThe snowberry and hummingbird clearwings are the most recognizable hummingbird moths; these day-flying moths hover before flowers extending long tongues to sip nectar, moving like hummingbirds; most active in summer at bee balm, phlox, honeysuckle, and verbena; in northern regions only a single generation emerges annually.
- mdc.mo.govThe hummingbird clearwing hovers over flowers using its long tongue to probe for nectar, resembling a miniature hummingbird; it nectars at honeysuckles, bee balms, and phlox; its bee-like pattern is mimicry, protection by association, and it has no defensive weaponry and is completely harmless.
In the guide for June, July, August