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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1869 verified sightings
Observation date: May 08, 2024
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Halifax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 25, 2024
Observation date: Jun 06, 2023
Submitted by: CASwearingen
Region: Laclede County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 21, 2024
Observation date: Apr 19, 2024
Submitted by: Scolardi777
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 19, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Mar 20, 2024
Observation date: Feb 17, 2024
Submitted by: Mohr824
Region: DeSoto County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 08, 2020
Submitted by: G.Downey
Region: Putnam County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jan 23, 2024
Observation date: Aug 14, 2023
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 13, 2023
Observation date: Sep 04, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: kcdemille
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 29, 2023
Observation date: Aug 21, 2023
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Aug 17, 2023
Submitted by: Leo York
Region: Anderson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 19, 2023
Observation date: Aug 18, 2023
Submitted by: kevinb
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 19, 2023
Observation date: Aug 13, 2023
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 13, 2023
Observation date: Aug 08, 2023
Submitted by: paranthkannan
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2023
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2023
Observation date: Aug 05, 2023
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2023
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
Observation date: Aug 09, 2023
Submitted by: Stacykay
Region: Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
Observation date: Aug 09, 2023
Submitted by: LAF2023
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 10, 2023
Observation date: Aug 03, 2023
Submitted by: Beavercreekguy
Region: Cheboygan County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2016
Submitted by: Susan McSwain
Region: Nelson County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 05, 2023
Observation date: Jun 13, 2023
Submitted by: Sarah1111
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Aug 05, 2023
Observation date: Jun 07, 2023
Submitted by: sbishop7
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Aug 05, 2023
Observation date: Aug 04, 2023
Submitted by: xBISsped6
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 04, 2023
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