Jul 10, 2025
Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis)
July 5, 2025
Southeastern Pennsylvania
seen from Philippines
seen from Argentina
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Maldives
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from Argentina
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seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis)
July 5, 2025
Southeastern Pennsylvania
He is going to dink his necter :)
have you done the snowberry clearwing yet? they are one of my favorites!
Moth Of The Day #296
Snowberry Clearwing
Hermaris diffinis
From the sphingidae family. They have a wingspan of 32-51 mm. They can be found across North America.
Image sources: [1] [2]
Snowberry clearwings are absolutely breathtaking, you'd think as I live close to the main area they are (Chesapeake Bay region) I'd have seen them more, and to be fair I likely have, however these guys are fast and good at their camouflage, I am determined to catch them in better quality sometime
Sunday September 15th 2024 11:02-11:15am
Snowberry Clearwing - Hemaris diffinis
The snowberry clearwing is a fascinating moth, though many may confuse it for a bumblebee or hummingbird due to its appearance and flight patterns.
Request: @thelordofologies AAA i humbly request....my sweet little babies....[snowberry clearwings . Theyre SO SO CUTE .] . TYSM ILL BE OVERJOYED IF YOU DO IT @thegalacticidiot I hope you like it and learn someting new :DDD @hispaatra, @zick-the-fairy, @the-ellia-west a moth you might like to learn about :DD
Description
Although adults of Hemaris diffinis vary in appearance, the moth does have a few standard characteristics.
The thorax has a golden or olive-golden colour, while the moth's abdomen has yellow and black segments much like those of the bumblebee, for whom it might be mistaken due to its colour and flight pattern similarities. Additionally, the snowberry moth is the only eastern species to exhibit blue abdominal tufts on the first black segment in some freshly emerged specimens.
Hemaris diffinis has a wingspan of about 32 to 51 millimetres. The wings are mostly clear with red-brown terminal borders and dark scaling along veins. The moth's wings lack the large number of scales found in most other lepidopterans, particularly in the central regions, which is what makes their wings appear clear. It loses these scales on its wings early after the pupa stage due to its highly active flight tendencies.
Life Cycle
Hummingbird moths lay their eggs on plants. The larvae are usually green with black spots around the spiracles. Behind the head is a yellow band. As with other sphinx moths, the caterpillar is a hornworm with a pointy “tail” arising from the end of the body; the horn on this species is black with a yellow base.
They pupate in a thin cocoon in leaf litter, where they remain during the cold months, emerging as moths in late spring or early summer to visit flowers during the warm months in between March and September.
Behaviour and Diet
It flies during the daylight much like the other hummingbird moths, but it may also continue flight into the evening, particularly if it has found a good source of nectar.
The larvae feed on plants including viburnums, honeysuckles, snowberry, blueberries, buckbrush, and members of the rose family. The adults drink nectar from a variety of flowers, hovering near them like a tiny hummingbird.
Distribution and Habitat
The moth is found in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, southern Ontario, eastern Manitoba, and western Quebec in Canada. In the United States, this species has been located in southern California and Baja California Norte, Illinois, and in the east through most of the United States from Maine to West Virginia to Florida.
Within this range, Hemaris diffinis occurs in a wide variety of open habitats, woods, streamsides, fields, gardens, and suburbs.
Hemaris diffinis on Phlox pilosa / Snowberry Clearwing on Downy Phlox
New! Hemaris diffinis (Snowberry clearwing)
draw a moth every day challenge some tumblr anon suggested i draw the snowberry clearwing moth so here it is!! this the first moth i've drawn which isn't a silkmoth. i'm planning on drawing more hawkmoths (like this one) soon enough, they can look very very pretty. (daily moth doodle 39/366)