Snowberry Clearwing

About the Snowberry Clearwing

The Snowberry Clearwing is a day-flying moth that looks and behaves remarkably like a bumblebee crossed with a hummingbird. It has a furry yellow-and-black body, transparent wing panels that give the species its name, and a long tongue it uncoils to drink nectar while hovering in front of flowers.

Unlike most moths it is active in full daylight, working flower patches with fast, humming wingbeats and never landing to feed. Females lay their eggs on snowberry and honeysuckle, the caterpillar host plants, and the green larvae feed quietly on the leaves before pupating in leaf litter.

In Texas, clearwings fly from spring through summer and turn up wherever nectar is concentrated - gardens, field edges, and open woodland clearings.