The latest issue (August 11, 2020) of New Hampshire Audubon's online series entitled "Things to Do! Fun and Nature Happenings from NH Audubon" arrived by email today. Included is a photograph and discussion by Rebecca Suomala about hummingbird moths, a group of moth species whose hovering flight without landing when feeding at flowers resembles the behavior of hummingbirds. 

Yesterday afternoon (August 10), here in Norwich, VT, I watched one of these moths in a backyard patch of red bee balm flowers where briefly joined by a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The two never came closer than about three feet apart. Both species feed by hovering with a rather upright body position and without ever perching on the flower. The moth appeared to be only about a third of the body length of the hummingbird. The moth has yellow and black colors reminiscent of those of a bumble bee (also present in the yard), but the arrangement of the colors is very different between the two. The presumed particular species of hummingbird moth appears to be fairly common and is sometimes called the Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis). The name clearwing comes from the rather transparent parts of the wing which can be seen in photos such as at   https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/hummingbird_moth.shtml
    
The hummingbirds here often feed at a series of flowers and then take "a break" for some moments by perching on a branch of a tree or shrub. In contrast, the moth I observed yesterday took a lengthy "break" while clinging vertically on a hanging leaf of a bee balm plant. From seeing these two species only when perched, one might never guess their similarities when foraging.

George Clark
Norwich, VT

 


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