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Hummingbird Moth, Common Clearwing

Hemaristhysbe

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Hemaris thysbe by DiOhio
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Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Sphingidae
Genus
Hemaris
Species
thysbe
Regional

This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:

Bay Minette, Alabama

Heflin, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama

Vernon, Alabama

Compton, Arkansas

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas

Capistrano Beach, California

Eureka, California

Hidden Meadows, California

Stamford, Connecticut

Alva, Florida

Brooksville, Florida

Daytona Beach, Florida

Fort Myers, Florida

Hollywood, Florida

Molino, Florida

Pensacola, Florida

Venice, Florida

Dahlonega, Georgia

Tifton, Georgia

Rathdrum, Idaho

Algonquin, Illinois

Blue Island, Illinois

Cherry Valley, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois(2 reports)

Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Hinsdale, Illinois

Rockford, Illinois

Troy, Illinois

Bluffton, Indiana

Bristol, Indiana

Corunna, Indiana

Crothersville, Indiana

Danville, Indiana

Greenwood, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Jeffersonville, Indiana(2 reports)

Merrillville, Indiana

New Palestine, Indiana

Noblesville, Indiana

Upland, Indiana

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Barbourville, Kentucky

Benton, Kentucky

Coushatta, Louisiana

Galliano, Louisiana

South China, Maine

Baltimore, Maryland

Boonsboro, Maryland

Brimfield, Massachusetts

Halifax, Massachusetts

Marshfield, Massachusetts

Paxton, Massachusetts

Swansea, Massachusetts

Walpole, Massachusetts

Weymouth, Massachusetts

Belleville, Michigan

Constantine, Michigan

Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Farmington, Michigan

Hastings, Michigan

Howell, Michigan

Jonesville, Michigan

Lake, Michigan

Ludington, Michigan

Marion, Michigan

Newport, Michigan

Niles, Michigan

Owosso, Michigan

Saline, Michigan

South Haven, Michigan

Westland, Michigan

Albertville, Minnesota

Buffalo, Minnesota

Duluth, Minnesota

Good Thunder, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota(2 reports)

Wayzata, Minnesota

Marietta, Mississippi

Conway, Missouri

Hermann, Missouri

Joplin, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Piedmont, Missouri

Saint Louis, Missouri

Saint Robert, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri

Livingston, Montana

Lincoln, Nebraska

Henderson, Nevada

Hudson, New Hampshire

Nashua, New Hampshire

Newton, New Jersey

Oak Ridge, New Jersey

Greenfield Center, New York

Himrod, New York

Keuka Park, New York

Kingston, New York

Lindenhurst, New York

Mechanicville, New York

Newburgh, New York

Staten Island, New York

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Clemmons, North Carolina

Concord, North Carolina

Elizabeth City, North Carolina(2 reports)

Graham, North Carolina

Hillsborough, North Carolina

Hudson, North Carolina

Oxford, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Salisbury, North Carolina

Bowling Green, Ohio

Bucyrus, Ohio

Chesterland, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio(2 reports)

Corning, Ohio

Hubbard, Ohio

Miamisburg, Ohio

New Madison, Ohio

Waverly, Ohio

Stilwell, Oklahoma

Alexandria, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Easton, Pennsylvania

Morrisville, Pennsylvania

Oil City, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sewickley, Pennsylvania

Crossville, Tennessee

Austin, Texas

Del Rio, Texas

Early, Texas

Fabens, Texas

Flower Mound, Texas

Mesquite, Texas

Tyler, Texas

Alexandria, Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

Dutton, Virginia

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Gate City, Virginia

Penhook, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Spokane, Washington

Eagle River, Wisconsin

Ellsworth, Wisconsin

Kenosha, Wisconsin

Marinette, Wisconsin

Menasha, Wisconsin

Portage, Wisconsin

Racine, Wisconsin

West Bend, Wisconsin

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Gardener's Notes:
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43 positive 5 neutral 2 negative
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P

PriscillaKing

Gate City, VA | July 2018 | Positive
Dittos the comment from Kentucky. Hemaris "clearwing" moths are in the same family with Manduca (tomato/tobacco hornworms), but a different genus. Size, shape, and color are different. Hemaris don't eat tomato plants. Manduca moths (sexta or quinquemaculata) are bigger, have drab wings that don't look clear, and don't buzz around flowers.

I occasionally see Hemaris in the garden; they're harmless, amusing to watch, and helpful pollinators for some flowers.
K

KCClark

Hilliard, OH (Zone 6a) | July 2018 | Positive
The info from Hidden Meadows, CA is incorrect. The tomato hornworm's binomial name is Manduca quinquemaculata. This moth is Hemaris thysbe, as noted in the title of this page. Hemaris thysbe caterpillars will not eat tomato leaves but do eat a number of other plants. I planted Arrowwood viburnum and trumpet honeysuckle for them but have not been lucky enough to get caterpillars yet.

Tomato hornworms eat the leaves of plants in the Nightshade family. If you find the caterpillars on your tomatoes, I suggest relocating the caterpillars to petunias or horsenettles, an undesirable weed you might have in your yard. The caterpillar will remove it for you.
g

greatmamaone

Hidden Meadows, CA | July 2018 | Negative
The moths come from the tomatoe horned worms. They can devower your tomatoe plants over night...the worm is very destructive.
F

Farvista

Flower Mound, TX | March 2016 | Neutral
We have the White-Lined Sphinxes. We love our zebra-striped, furry little hummingbirds. At dusk, they're all over the flower beds. They seem to love the red-flowered sage.
n

nutsaboutnature

Algonquin, IL (Zone 5a) | February 2016 | Positive
It's always a joy to be outside when a Hummingbird Moth shows up. These guys are very unique-looking, unlike any other moth or butterfly I've ever seen.

In my yard they seem especially fond of Monarda blooms and will take their time going from one bloom to the next seeming totally unfazed by my presence.

I look forward to seeing them every year!




b

bonny13

Racine, WI | August 2015 | Positive
We get these wonderful little creatures every year! They love to come to my nasturniums and eat. Last year, I had 20 or so buzzing around! It was so amazing and beautiful! I can't wait for them to come back, so every year I have my nasturniums ready for them!
t

tcrissamos

New Milford, IL | September 2013 | Positive
Saw this beautiful creature in Rockford, IL on Sept 11 2013.
i have never seen one before and think its soooo beautiful.

J

JasonCoop

Walpole, MA | July 2013 | Positive
I was on my deck today and looked down at the garden and saw one of these, wasn't sure what it was at first. went inside to get my camera and managed to get the shot that i just uploaded here. about an hour later i went back outside and there were 5 or 6 of them going from flower to flower in the garden. they are really cool looking!
/photos/90101853@N02/9314638185/
N

No1PugMom

Balmville, NY | May 2013 | Positive
This is by far the most unusual insect I have ever seen. I dubbed it the hummingbee because of the stripes on its back. It was amazing how it hovered like a hummingbird, but definitely was not. I was able to get a picture of it this year. I've seen it last year also.
j

judy0711

Venice, FL | October 2012 | Positive
We have a ton of these in our yard. My husband has beautiful gardens of exotic flowers all around our house and they just love them! My husband (we are originally from Michigan) and our neighbor from Ohio, would tell me all the time, "you just missed another hummingbird". I would get so mad! Then I realized it was these "bugs" that they thought were actual hummingbirds!! I would point out the "feelers" at the head and the four wings when they fly - they still insisted they were right! Well, we found one dead on a plant today and I was finally able to get a good enough look at it to find your website and prove to my husband once and for all - it's not a true hummingbird! Oh well, they are still cool to watch flitter around! LOL!
M

Manix5

New Palestine, IN | August 2012 | Positive
I found a Hummingbird Moth in my backyard in New Palestine Indiana. First time I have seen one of these. I thought it was a Baby Hummingbird at first. I have uploaded 2 photos.
o

owossoallen

Owosso, MI | July 2012 | Positive
We spent a little while watching several of these tonight. They were loving the bee balm in my "butterfly garden". At one time we counted 4. Didn't know what they were for sure until we came & looked it up. Thought they were baby hummingbirds.
s

suzmor13

Saline, MI | July 2012 | Positive
Just saw one for the first time in Saline, MI. I watched for a long time because of how it looked; like a mixture of a prawn,moth and hummingbird.
j

jaxbaq

Chicago, IL | July 2012 | Positive
Just saw this today on northside of Chicago. I thought it was a huge wasp at first, then thought hummingbird, then did a head smack as I realized it was a moth.
D

Drmestrong

Eagle River, WI | May 2012 | Positive
Just took pictures of one feeding in our hanging baskets. Thought it was a bee at first! Very interesting and unusual.
C

CinBern

Kenosha, WI | May 2012 | Positive
Just saw these amazing little creatures for the first time. Two of them were feeding feverishly on a blooming bush.Buzzing all around us while we watched. they were within arms reach of us just after dusk, so we could still see them well enough to know they were insect & not bird. We live in Southeast Wisc.
N

Neotokyodoll

Roanoke, VA (Zone 7b) | September 2011 | Positive
I was getting ready to grab up a royal red butterfly bush at our local Lowe's when I spotted one of these guys. When I went to pick up the plant to put it in the cart he still chased after it. He followed me around for a little bit in the gardening center before he took off back to the other butterfly bushes. Adorable little guys. I'm gonna see what I can do to attract them to the yard next year :)
h

hydey6

Corunna, IN | September 2011 | Positive
At first I thought it was a humming bird. I discovered it late one night feeding on my petunias. It flew inches in front of my face and sort of startled me. It tends to look rather creepy but it loves my flowers!
s

skovener

Crothersville, IN (Zone 5b) | August 2011 | Positive
My granddaughter was visiting and her finger and toe nails were painted a bright fushia with little white flowers on her toenails. She came into the house one morning and said that some kind of strange bug had landed on her fingernail, it had a long tongue and left a sticky substance on the nail. She said that it wasn't a hummingbird and didn't think it was a moth. She came in two more times after it had landed on her finger again and also on her toe nail. She was not happy! Later in the day I saw it on one of my flowers. I had never seen one before! It looked like a cross between a hummingbird and a bumble bee! So glad I finally got to see one.
T

Torfin

Pleasant Valley, MO | June 2011 | Positive
My wife and I thought that this gentle moth was actually a Bumble Bee. My wife took a bit of convincing that it was not something with a stinger. I noticed that it was actually a moth and after a little online research identified it as a Humming Bird Moth. A well earned name! I tried half a dozen times to get a picture of the wings to no avail.

I hope that we will continue to see this variety of moth around our garden. It is always very interesting that nature does not put all of its pollenation eggs in one basket.

This sighting occurred 06/27/11-1645 Springfield, MO
s

shewhoplants

Tifton, GA (Zone 8b) | October 2010 | Positive
Soooooooo interesting and beautiful in their own way. My first encounter of seeing this moth was on Moon fFowers, here in Tifton, Georgia, where they come to feed at exactually the same time,(7:30p.m) every night. Always too late to photograph them for me. At times I have seen 4-5 moths feeding at one time. Now that I know that they do come out during the day I will start looking for them.
g

growingranny

Dutton, VA (Zone 7b) | October 2010 | Positive
I never see them here until the hummingbirds have left for the season. Then I see them on my Butterfly Ginger every night. This is the 4th year I have seen them here. They may be the critter that eats tomato plants but I have yet to see one on any tomato plants here, and my tomatoes are gone for the year.
t

themikeman

Concord, NC (Zone 7a) | August 2010 | Positive
These are very beautiful moths!!! They love my purple butterfly bush. I saw one of these when i was about 6 years old in my Mother's garden in Upstate New York, it used to come and visit Her garden every morning and hover around the red beebalm and echinacea she had. i now live in NC and the hummingbird moths that visit my butterfly bush are the first ones i've seen since i was a kid. very gentle looking for an insect also. really does look like a tiny hummingbird. mike.
K

Kamelhaj32

Baltimore, MD | August 2010 | Positive
Beautiful,mysterious moth! They seem to zero in on petunias. Body about 1" long but feeding tube about 1 1/2"! Seen em only at night. Faded bumblebee colors on body. At night, look like miniature angels hovering around. Are these rare?
F

Francies26

Greenwood, IN | August 2010 | Positive
I saw one of these little guys here in Greenwood, Indiana two years ago and despite keeping my eyes open, haven't seen one again until just a few minutes ago! It was checking out my geraniums, phlox and the drought stricken echinachea and black-eyed susans before heading off to the neighbor's. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture--yet! Very cool to see something so rare!
T

TammyAndDarrel

Danville, IN | August 2010 | Positive
We've seen these on our white butterfly bushes in Danville, Hendricks Co, IN; and on my mother-in-law's in Indianapolis. I've only seen them on the white bushes, even though we also have pink and purple ones. These are really an interesting insect -- I was glad to find the information about them.
j

jlampman

Bluffton, IN (Zone 5b) | August 2010 | Positive
My husband and I were looking out the window at our butterfly bush. I saw what I thought might be a butterfly and my husband thought it was a hummingbird. We immediately came to the internet and found this site. It's great! We found out it was a hummingbird moth! What a surprise that a moth could look so much like a hummingbird. It was absolutely fascinating to watch. We never knew there were so many beautiful creatures out there!
s

swlll

Mesquite, TX | July 2010 | Positive
I also thought this to be a small hummingbird when I first saw it. But as I studied it I realized that hummingbirds don't have antennae. Because of the wings with no scales I thought it to be some other kind of insect or bug. Never in my mind did I suspect it to be a moth. I finally discovered what it was as I was trying to identify a caterpiller I found in my butterfly garden and came across the pictures of the hummingbird clearwing moth and caterpiller. It is fascinating to watch it fly and feed around my garden. Discoveries like this make retirement exciting and educational.
m

mulberryman

Daytona Beach, FL | July 2010 | Positive
I've had these appear in numbers at dusk feeding on the flowers of a (male) papaya. It is some comfort to know that although I won't get fruit, at least I get to watch these fascinating little creatures.
p

pokegama

Saint Paul, MN | July 2010 | Positive
It was so unique to watrch.
g

ggrayhabig

Greenfield Center, NY | May 2010 | Positive
I love to see this little bug as it looks like a miniture Humming Bird.
k

kabmiller

Greensboro, NC | September 2009 | Neutral
We saw these in our garden and after watching it for a while realized it must be a moth. I always thought moths came out at night and didn't realize they drink nectar. These are fun to watch. We got some great pictures. They don't seem to be too afraid of humans! We live in Greensboro, NC.
m

mjglisson

Winterville, NC | August 2009 | Positive
August 4th was my first encounter with the hummingbird moth. I had never seen such a creature. We thought it was a bird at first but further research gave us the correct information. We were visiting Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson when we spotted the odd creature. My friend thought it was a hummingbird but I thought it was a bug. I didn't argue the point because I didn't know either but I had to know and thanks to this site I got my curiosity satisfied. We attempted several pictures but they are REALLY FAST.
k

kathy_tss

Portage, WI | July 2009 | Neutral
Saw this little guy zipping around the catmint & thought it was a hummingbird but - the antennae & legs just didn't look right. I remembered seeing info on the sphinx moth & started there trying to find the correct name. He was definitely more interesting than the buzzumbly bees that usually frequent this plant!
b

burg1111

Hollywood, FL | June 2009 | Positive
Just saw one last night hovering around the Red Firespike in the butterfly garden. My husband and I were fascinated! It was bright orange, but I couldn't get a good sighting on its wings. It buzzed right over my head, I had to duck so as to not get smacked. For a few hours we thought we had a hummingbird, but DG has set me straight. Super cool though! I really hope it comes back. We saw it at night though, not during the day.
n

nicolel

Paxton, MA | May 2009 | Positive
I spent 15 minutes sitting next to one of my hanging plants on Memorial Day trying to figure out what I was seeing. My sister and I couldn't wait to Google this fascinating creature! It had clear wings with brown stripes on its body. Hopefully, it will make a return appearance.
S

Sneirish

Swansea, MA (Zone 6b) | July 2008 | Positive
This awesome little guy fooled me last year into thinking he was the first hummingbird in my garden. My "smarty-pants" sister set me straight. So I was definitely ready and waiting for him to hit the Butterfly Bush again this year. And there he was on Friday and again today. I could ony get a back view photo, but it's still cool to have him around.
k

kimpaige

Orlando, FL | July 2008 | Positive
We saw it when we were visiting our family home in Hermann, MO. It fooled us too! I thought it was quite beautiful and unusual - even after we figured out it was not a hummingbird. It really seemed to like hollyhocks.
s

shtoll

Indianapolis, IN | July 2008 | Positive
I saw this moth last night (7/27/08 - Near 75th/Oaklandon, Indianapolis - near Geist.
Awesome moth. I happened to be 2 feet at eye level from it at 9:30 pm. Fairly dark and the moth was awesome. I thought it was a bat and then a moth then a hummingbird. I never heard or seen one in action. Truly awesome to watch.
Is this moth rare or anything?
b

btonsch

Pittsburgh, PA | July 2008 | Positive
I was out walking one day and couldn't believe what I saw: A strange moth-like creature feeding on a butterfly bush! I couldn't take my eyes off it! I knew it was some sort of moth or butterfly I had never seen before. To me, It looked like a flying shrimp! I logged onto Dave's garden to hopefully find out what this thing was, and needless to say I did, and am now a member. This moth is so strange and beautiful! I love it!
a

art_n_anna

San Marcos, CA | April 2008 | Positive
... and one in San Marcos, CA, on the same day! I thought it was a different, smaller, variety of hummingbird, but not with those attennae!
G

GardeniaDebby

Capistrano Beach, CA | April 2008 | Positive
I've never seen one of these before and then TWO of them were in the impatients, buzzing around. I also thought they were baby hummingbirds. One of the oddest and most interesting moths I have ever seen... and very pretty! So that is 2 California sightings, and from what I can tell they don't belong here. Hmmm.
K

KBratton

Hot Springs National Park, AR | April 2008 | Positive
My husband and I noticed what we thought was a baby hummingbird on Saturday. Upon closer inspection we saw that it had antennae. This was curious, Humming Birds don’t have antennae!! We weren’t sure what we were looking at. By Sunday evening we had four of these little guys hovering all around the azalea bush in the front yard. The Hummingbirds were chasing each other around and away from the bushes and the feeder, but they didn’t pay any attention to the little visitors. We found out what they are when we got into work this morning. I’m looking forward to watching them some more tonight and hopefully to get a few pictures of them.
s

sannajane

Eureka, CA | March 2008 | Neutral
I only saw one once, and was astonished. Now I look and see (so far) I'm the only California report! Way cool moth....
m

makshi

Noblesville, IN (Zone 5a) | August 2007 | Positive
I love the way it flies around and looks so much like a hummingbird. I find it beautiful.
g

greencat

Heflin, AL | July 2007 | Negative
Somewhere I read that this is the moth (or a moth like it)that lays the egg for the tomato hornworm.
j

joegee

Bucyrus, OH (Zone 6a) | June 2007 | Positive
I was buzzed the other evening by one of these critters. I hadn't seen one in a while. It's nice to know they're around.
b

bsharf

Palm Coast, FL (Zone 9a) | February 2007 | Positive
This is a unusual moth, in that it is active during the day. Most moths rest during the day.
l

lafko06

Brimfield, MA (Zone 5a) | September 2006 | Neutral
At first I thought this was a baby hummingbird and have seen a few in my yard recently. It confused me and I googled hummingbirds and finally found out that it is actually a moth.
m

melody

Benton, KY (Zone 7a) | July 2006 | Positive
Since the caterpillar feeds on plants in the Honeysuckle family, this pretty moth will always have food here in west KY. Nicknamed the 'Hummingbird Moth' because of the similar flight habits, it is found in forest edges, meadows and cultivated flower gardens.

Found coast to coast in the north,and east of the Great Plainssouth to the Gulf. The adults like most flower nectar.

There are two generations a year.
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