Hummingbird clearwing moth

Description:

Adults are frequently mistaken for hummingbirds or bees because of their fast-moving wings and coloration. They have a two inch wingspan. These moths use a coiled tube extending from their mouths to feed. I didn’t know if this was a snowberry clearwing moth as I had had one of those at my butterfly bush before. BugGuide helped: “The easiest way to differentiate the hummingbird clearwing from the snowberry clearwing is the color of the legs. The hummingbird clearwing has white legs, the snowberry has black legs. (and H. gracilis – the slender clearwing has reddish legs with a noticeable red stripe on the side of the thorax where the legs meet the thorax).

Habitat:

My yard

Notes:

On two successive days, I saw a pair of clearwing moths at my butterfly bush, one more brownish and the other greenish. I thought one might be male and the other female but BugGuide pointed out: “They range in color from greenish to brownish/tan.” This is the brownish one, with the last photo showing both together.