Slender clearwing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender clearwing |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Hemaris
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| Species: |
gracilis
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The Slender Clearwing (Hemaris gracilis) is a type of moth. It is also known as the Graceful Clearwing. This moth belongs to the family Sphingidae, which are often called hawk-moths or sphinx moths. Scientists first described this species in 1865.
About the Slender Clearwing Moth
The Slender Clearwing moth lives in North America. You can find it along the East Coast, from Nova Scotia in Canada all the way down to central Florida. It also lives west through New England to Michigan and into Saskatchewan. In Connecticut, this moth is considered a threatened species. This means its numbers are low, and it needs protection.
What Does It Look Like?
These moths have a wingspan of about 40 to 45 millimeters. That's about 1.5 to 1.7 inches wide. You can tell them apart from similar moths by special red-brown bands. These bands are on the sides of their body, near the wings.
Their bodies are usually green or yellow-green on top. Sometimes they can be brown with white underneath. They have a red belly, which is called an abdomen. Their wings are special because they are mostly clear, like glass! The edges of their wings are reddish-brown. The clear part of the front wing has a smooth outer edge. It also has a line of tiny scales in the middle.
Life Cycle and Food
Slender Clearwing moths likely have two generations each year. This means they complete their life cycle twice in one year. Adult moths can be seen flying from March to August.
Adult moths drink nectar from various flowers. They use their long tongues, like straws, to sip the sweet liquid. Some of their favorite flowers include pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), Rubus species (like raspberries and blackberries), dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum), and Phlox species.
The young moths, called larvae or caterpillars, eat different plants. They have been seen feeding on lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium vacillans) and Kalmia species, like mountain laurel. When a caterpillar is ready to change, it forms a thin cocoon. This cocoon is usually found under leaves on the ground. Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar changes into a pupa, which then becomes an adult moth.
