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Clearwing Moths: Wisconsin’s Day-Flying Moths

We have two beautiful daytime-flying hawk moths (also called sphinx moths) that call Wehr Nature Center home: the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth and the Snowberry Clearwing Moth!Both belong to the Sphinx Moth Family (Sphingidae) and are remarkable bumblebee mimics. But watch them in action and you’ll quickly notice something else—they have a distinctly hummingbird-like flight pattern as they hover from flower to flower, using their long, extended proboscis (tongue) to sip nectar.So how can you tell them apart?❤️ Hummingbird Clearwing: Has a reddish cast to both its body and wings.🖤 Snowberry Clearwing: Lacks the reddish coloration and appears more black overall. It also has a distinctive dark “mask” across its eyes that extends downward toward its legs. ***The Snowberry Clearwing Moth is what you see at the bottom right corner. Like other sphinx moths, the caterpillars of the Snowberry Clearwing are hornworms, with a pointy horn—or caudal horn—at the end of the body. The horn on these species is black with a yellow base. Their caterpillars feed on plants including snowberry, coralberry, native honeysuckles, dogbane, blue star, and horse gentian before eventually pupating in the ground.🌿 A reminder before you reach for the garden gloves: We’ve been seeing lots of posts featuring caterpillars with horns on their back end, accompanied by concerns that they are tomato hornworms. But tomato hornworms are just one of many sphinx moth species with a caudal horn! If you find a horned caterpillar munching on a plant other than tomato, it is most likely not a tomato hornworm.Before disposing of a horned caterpillar, try to make an ID first! We’re always happy to help if you’re not sure what you’ve found. 🐛🔎Wisconsin is home to approximately 35–45 species of sphinx moths, including rare migrants and occasional stray species that can turn up in the state. Keep your eyes open—you never know what fascinating moth you might discover!The image features a close-up of a green caterpillar (Snowberry Clearwing Caterpillar) positioned on the edge of a light green leaf. The caterpillar has a segmented body with a pale yellow stripe running along its length and small black dots adorning its sides. The head of the caterpillar is slightly broader with a prominent black horn on top, giving it a distinct profile. Below the caterpillar, the leaf texture displays fine veins and a subtle sheen. In the lower right corner, there is a circular inset depicting a brown and black moth- (The Snowberry Clearwing Moth), hovering near a cluster of pale purple flowers. The background is softly blurred, emphasizing the caterpillar in the foreground while providing context through the surrounding greenery.#WehrNatureCenter #MothsOfWisconsin #SphinxMoth #HawkMoth #HummingbirdClearwing #SnowberryClearwing #NativeMoths #WisconsinWildlife #NatureEducation … See MoreSee Less