Snowberry clearwing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snowberry clearwing |
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| Hemaris diffinis in Augusta, Michigan | |
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Hemaris
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diffinis
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The snowberry clearwing (scientific name: Hemaris diffinis) is a cool type of moth. It belongs to the Lepidoptera order, which includes all butterflies and moths. This moth is part of the Sphingidae family, often called "sphinx moths" or "hawk-moths." People sometimes call it the "hummingbird moth" or "flying lobster" because of how it looks and flies! But don't mix it up with the hummingbird hawk-moth, which lives in Europe.
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Meet the Snowberry Clearwing Moth
These moths are about 1.25 to 2 inches long. That's about the length of your thumb! The moth's body looks a lot like a bumblebee. It has yellow and black stripes. This helps it trick predators into thinking it's a stinging bee.
Why Are Its Wings Clear?
Most moths and butterflies have wings covered in tiny scales. But the snowberry clearwing moth has clear wings! This is because it loses most of its scales soon after it becomes an adult. It flies around a lot, and this active flying makes the scales fall off. This makes its wings look like they are made of clear plastic.
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Male moth from above
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Male moth from below
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Female moth from above
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Female moth from below
Daily Life of the Moth
The snowberry clearwing moth is mostly active during the day. Just like hummingbirds, it flies around to find flowers. It sips nectar from flowers using its long tongue. Sometimes, if it finds a really good spot with lots of nectar, it might keep flying into the evening too.
Where Do Snowberry Clearwing Moths Live?
You can find these moths in many places across North America. In Canada, they live in areas like the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, southern Ontario, eastern Manitoba, and western Quebec. In the United States, they are found from southern California all the way east. They live in states like Illinois, Maine, West Virginia, and Florida.
What Do Baby Moths Eat?
The baby moths, called larvae or caterpillars, love to munch on certain plants. They eat leaves from plants like honeysuckle, viburnum, hawthorn, snowberry, cherry, mint, and plum. These plants are very important for the caterpillars to grow big and strong.
Fun Nicknames
The snowberry clearwing moth has some fun nicknames! In some parts of the Appalachian Mountains, like West Virginia, people call it the "hummingbird moth" or "flying lobster." These names come from how the moth looks and flies. It can hover like a hummingbird and its body shape might remind some people of a lobster.
Gallery
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A snowberry clearwing moth showing a slight difference in look
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A snowberry clearwing moth in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
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A snowberry moth in Elizabethtown, Kentucky
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A snowberry clearwing moth on a cosmos flower
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A snowberry clearwing moth drinking nectar from an Abelia flower
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A snowberry clearwing caterpillar
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Images for kids
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Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) feeding at Buddleja flower
