A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Hemaris thysbe
Bright lime green or reddish, finely granulose, with yellow subdorsal stripe. Head green or pink, granulose. First thoracic segment raised with yellow or reddish anterior rim framing top of head. Often with yellow to pale orange-red and black bands above each thoracic and abdominal leg. Spiracles red with white at either end. Horn pale lavender-blue or reddish with black granules. Food: various trees and shrubs in honeysuckle and rose families. Caterpillar: May to November; 2 generations in South, 1 in North.
Open areas with shrubs, young trees, gardens. Adults feed actively on flower nectar during the day while hovering at blossoms. Larvae feed on hawthorn, honeysuckle, snowberry, viburnum. Adults take nectar from deep-throated flowers.
Spotted on the fence around an old cemetery in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Add'l web ref: http://bugguide.net/node/view/2638
No Comments