Snowberry Clearwing Moth

Here's something I'll usually see a couple times during a summer, a Snowberry Clearwing Moth. I've shown this moth before, but they're always a welcome sight. Like hummingbird, butterflies, and moths like their Hummingbird Clearwing Moth cousins, they're helpful pollinators, colorful, and dynamic fliers. 

They're also a good example of Batesian mimicry, where an essentially harmless animal has evolved to look like a more dangerous one. In the case of the Snowberry Clearwing Moth, they want you to think they're bumblebees. If you see one, you might want the scream "Ack! A bee!" and look frightened; the Snowberry Clearwing will experience the joy you get when a plan is working perfectly.

September 8, 2022 at Fairview Farm
Photo 248397240, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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