Snowberry clearwing

The hummingbird feeder is alive with both adult and juvenile hummers, and with the pickerel weed still at peak, I've been looking for their insect analogues. There are several different species of Hummingbird Moths in the neighborhood, and they're all collectively in the Sphinx Moth family. In the spring, I got to meet the Nessus Sphinx, when the first flush of Sweet William blossoms held sway, but those moths are long gone from the adult world. Today's claim to the hummingbird title goes to a Sphinx known as the Snowberry Clearwing, which is distinguished from its lookalike cousin, also on the wing these days, by the Snowberry's brighter, more yellow "plumage"—the Hummingbird Clearwing is mostly brown. Whatever the species, these little mites are pure magic to watch, as they work the flowers for nectar and hover in one spot, just like the birds whose flight style they mimic.