Moth Mimic

You can see these moths, these hummingbird moths, all summer.  They hover, move from flower to flower and sip nectar.  They are unusual for moths because they fly during the day time.  This group of moths has a bewildering number of names: hummingbird moth, hawk moth, bumblebee moth, sphinx moth.  With a casual glance these moths can be mistaken for a hummingbird or a bee and that mistaken identity gives them a couple of their common names.  There are three species of hummingbird moths in Eastern North America.  This summer we hosted a group of Hemaris diffinis. These moths fed on beebalm, milkweed, lantana and other flowers in our yard. 

 

The hummingbird moth Hemaris diffinis feeding on Lantana camara in North Carolina

Hemaris diffinis, besides being called all these other names has yet another common name, snowberry clearwing.  Snowberry (Symphoricarpos) is a member of the honeysuckle family and Hemaris diffinis uses this plant as a host for its eggs and larvae.  The clearwing part of the name comes from the transparent areas on the moth’s wings.  Hemaris diffinis has a large body with a golden thorax and a black abdomen.  This yellow and black pattern is like that of several species of bumblebees.  At the tip of the abdomen, this hummingbird moth has a fan of bristles that resemble the tail of a hummingbird.  Hemaris diffinis does not flap as fast as a hummingbird but the clear areas of the wings make them appear to be a blur, just like the wings of a hummingbird.  Hemaris diffinis has an extendible mouthpart, called the proboscis, which it uses to sip nectar from flowers.  The proboscis even resembles the beak of a hummingbird.  

The video above shows Hermaris diffinis, with its yellow body and black abdomen, hovering as it feeds on Lantana.  This is similar to the color pattern of the Common Bumblebee Bombus impatiens in the next section of the video.  Finally a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched on and hovering near a hummingbird feeder shows a similar flight and feeding pattern to the moth. 

Hemaris diffinis is a mimic and it is mimicking both hummingbirds and large bees.  The question is, why?  It is easy to explain mimicking a bee.  Bees are able to sting and they advertise this fact by bold patterns and colors of yellow and black.  This yellow and black pattern is a well know warning to potential predators.  A number of insects including flies and beetles mimic bees and enjoy protection from bird predators.  But why would a moth mimic a hummingbird?   The birds that prey on moths do not hunt hummingbirds, so being mistaken for a hummingbird is a second level of protection. 

Summer is still going and the hummingbird moths are still flying.  Go out and enjoy these double mimics in fields and gardens. 

The (Metaphorical) Big Fish

This post is not really about fish but it is inspired by anglers.  Fishermen and women have stories and the best stories are about fish that got away.  As these stories are told and retold the fish get bigger, they fight harder and they leap more dramatically.  Taking photos of animals is kind of like fishing because lots of times the big ones get away.  Here are some of the ones that got away from me photographically. 

This White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) saw me bring up the camera and it sprung away.

A Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperi) was perched near the Salisbury, NC Greenway.  As I tried to take a picture the hawk flew toward me with a glare in its eyes.

This large blue dragonfly, an Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) was using a twig for a perch.  This is the Eastern Pondhawk leaving the perch.

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) escaped from focus at a feeder in our yard. 

A juvenile Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasicatus)was climbing fast up the wall of our house and ran out of the frame.

This male Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) was perched in a scrubby tree on a Piedmont Prairie in Mecklenburg County, NC.  Then it flew.

I was in a swamp in Rowan County, NC trying to get the definitive picture of a Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) .  This male jumped at the wrong moment.  

This Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) was feeding in a pond in Palm Beach County, FL when it took a dive.

I was photographing Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Spencer, NC when this one bounded away.

A Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) was hunting along a creek in Clayton County, GA when it decided I was too close and flew away. 

A Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) departs from a Tropical Milkweed (Ascelpias curassavica) in Salisbury, NC.

Driving through Florida's Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a September afternoon, Diane and I could not believe our luck.  Two Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) were roosting in the same dead pine.  When we got close enough to take a picture, a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) decided to land in the same tree.  You can see one Peregrine still at the top of the tree and the other Peregrine, which was displaced by the Vulture is just coming out from behind the tree on the left.  The Vulture is landing in the middle. 

We took a boat this summer in Alaska and the captain had posted a sign that said, "There are no bad birds".  I try to say, "There are no bad pictures", but I am not so sure.