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 1948 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 06, 2025
Submitted by: Molly_P
Region: Charles County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 20, 2025
Observation date: Aug 05, 2025
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 11, 2025
Submitted by: QueenBeeKari77
Region: Price County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Aug 16, 2025
Observation date: Aug 15, 2025
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 16, 2025
Observation date: Aug 08, 2025
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 10, 2025
Observation date: Jun 29, 2014
Submitted by: DayBC
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 02, 2025
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 25, 2025
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 31, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 30, 2025
Observation date: Jul 30, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 28, 2025
Observation date: Jul 06, 2024
Submitted by: Swhitaker
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 28, 2025
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 26, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: jwsformo
Region: Genesee County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2025
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 21, 2025
Submitted by: Razzlefish
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 23, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 23, 2025
Observation date: Jul 23, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 22, 2025
Observation date: Jul 17, 2025
Submitted by: PhotoGwen88
Region: Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 21, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 21, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: pweidman
Region: Belmont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 18, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 18, 2025
Observation date: Jul 16, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jul 17, 2025
Observation date: Jul 15, 2025
Submitted by: Beewatcher73
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 16, 2025
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