Hummingbird Clearwing
Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Macroglossinae
Identification: Adult appearance is variable; Hummingbird mimic. The thorax is olive to golden-olive in color dorsally, yellow ventrally; abdomen is dark burgundy (sometimes almost black) both dorsally and ventrally, with light olive to dark golden patches dorsally. Wings mostly clear with reddish brown terminal borders and dark scaling along veins. While wing maculation is too variable to be 100% diagnostic, thysbe typically has thick terminal borders and the discal cell is typically covered or bisected by dark scales. However, thysbe can always be distinguished from gracilis and diffinis by two characteristics: 1) the lack of any banding on the lateral side of the thorax; 2) thysbe always has yellowish or pale colored legs.
Wing Span: 1 9/16 - 2 3/16 inches (4 - 5.5 cm).
Life History: Adults fly during the day, and hover at flowers to sip nectar. Caterpillars pupate in cocoons spun at the soil surface.
Flight: Two broods in the south from March-June and August-October; one brood in the north from April-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Honeysuckle (Lonicera), snowberry (Symphoricarpos), hawthorns (Crataegus), cherries and plums (Prunus), and European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus).
Adult Food: Nectar from a wide variety of flowers including Japanese honeysuckle, beebalm, red clover, lilac, phlox, snowberry, cranberry, blueberry, vetch, and thistles.
Habitat: Open and second-growth habitats, gardens, and suburbs.
Range: Alaska and the Northwest Territories south through British Columbia to Oregon; east through the Great Plains and the Great Lakes area to Maine and Newfoundland; south to Florida and Texas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: new identification section added from Jason D. Roberts 8/2009
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1441 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 26, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 28, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: debbieandroxy
Region: Floyd County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 08, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 08, 2019
Observation date: Aug 13, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 06, 2019
Observation date: Sep 06, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 06, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 06, 2019
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Sep 01, 2019
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 02, 2019
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Jefferson County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 02, 2019
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: altonmarsh
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 26, 2019
Submitted by: Maria Palley
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 27, 2019
Submitted by: art555
Region: Johnson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 29, 2019
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 26, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: RStankiewicz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2019
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: Ian Pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: Vexies80
Region: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Washington County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Aug 01, 2019
Submitted by: Sparkle Butterflies
Region: Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
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