Hummingbird moths are totally delightful creatures

While I am aware that what I think is delightful, especially in the insect world, many people do not. Take my Madagascan hissing cockroaches – not everyone appreciates their rich glossy chestnut carapaces, or the way they greet each other by stroking antennae or their wonderful hissing. However, the hummingbird moth is one insect that I think no one could encounter and not think of the word "delightful."

These moths are relatively common in most flower gardens this time of year, but often aren’t seen because people don’t know to look or don’t know what they are seeing when a hummingbird moth is in the garden. These are one of the only moths active during the day – so who would even recognize this hovering insect as a moth? Instead, when we see them, we think tiny hummingbird or bee.

These are called hummingbird moths (or bumblebee moths, or flying lobsters) for a reason: they don’t really look like moths. They fly and hover like a hummingbird; the coloration of a common species – the snowberry clearwing (even the common names are delightful!) resembles the yellow and black banding of a bee; and their shape is somewhat lobsteresque. The wings can clock up to 70 beats per second (this depends upon the species) enabling them to fly as fast as 12 miles per hour.

Hummingbird moths are members of the Sphingidae family of moths and butterflies. Commonly known as sphinx or hawk moths, members of this family of moths are known for their large size and rapid flight. Snowberry clearwings have large, stout bodies covered with fuzzy hairs. These hairs spread out into a fan-shaped (lobster or bird-like) tail.

Hummingbird moths hover in mid-air as they feed on nectar, if you listen carefully you can hear their beating wings making a soft buzzing sound. This ability to hover is an adaptation that has evolved in only three different types of nectar feeders: bats, hummingbirds and some insects, such as hummingbird moths. This is a great example of convergent evolution – when very dissimilar species end up with the same adaptations – for example, flippers on dolphins and fins on fish, or the opposable thumb of an opossum and a human, or in the case of hummingbird moths, hummingbirds and bats-hovering flight. Another interesting adaptation is their coloration – why resemble bees? Because this kind of mimicry helps deter predators.

Hovering makes sense for the larger nectar feeders, since most flowers do not have perches readily available. While bees usually land on and crawl into a flower to feed, hummingbird moths are either too heavy or too wary of predators to risk remaining stationary while feeding. Hovering allows for a fast getaway.

Wildflowers are at their peak this time of year in Maine and nectar production is at its highest on warm, clear days. This is when you are most likely to see swarms of honeybees and a few accompanying hummingbird moths in your garden.

Hummingbird moth sightings are uncommon, not because they aren't there, but because we frequently aren't looking. The next time you see bees massing around the flowers in your garden or you think you see a tiny hummingbird hovering at the edge of your neighborhood meadow, look a little more carefully and you might be lucky enough to see this incredibly delightful insect.

Susan Pike, a researcher and an environmental sciences and biology teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, welcomes your ideas for future column topics. She may be reached at spike3116@gmail.com. Read more of her Nature News columns online.