Mikayla said:
Is the the moth I heard about that shows mimicry of a bee?
By coloration it appears to. Its behavior seems to me to be more akin to a hummingbird. It's sometimes cited as an example of Batesian mimicry due to its resemblance to a bumblebee. There's another species in the same genus, Hemaris thysbe, whose common name is "hummingbird clearwing." Not being a twitcher, that's all I can say. :)
Edited to add: Hemaris thysbe pic.
Mikayla said:
Is the the moth I heard about that shows mimicry of a bee?
Several species of moth, in several families, mimic bees and wasps.
That being said, I always think of the family Sesiidae when I think of "clearwings," and I prefer "bee hawk moth" for Hemaris...
Also, has anyone else heard of a hypothesis floating around about how Old World hummingbirds (e.g, Eurotrochilis sp) went extinct in Europe due to a combination of climatic change and competition with hawk/sphinx moths?
Pete Dunkelberg · 8 December 2008
That's a great picture. The plant looks like Asclepias incarnata, also called swamp milkweed. Where was the photo taken?
Pete Dunkelberg said:
That's a great picture. The plant looks like Asclepias incarnata, also called swamp milkweed. Where was the photo taken?
Thanks! It was taken in central Ohio on a flat ridge that has a more or less permanently dampish (but not swampy) area of milkweeds that we preserve (i.e., don't mow) on account of the Monarchs. I'll poke around and see if I can identify the species in the spring. It's a little hard now, what with the snow and all. :)
Dan · 8 December 2008
Pete Dunkelberg said:
That's a great picture. The plant looks like Asclepias incarnata, also called swamp milkweed. Where was the photo taken?
Swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) has a narrower leaf, a pinker flower, and a flatter umbel. I suspect that the species shown in this wonderful photo is common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.
Pete Dunkelberg · 9 December 2008
Thanks Dan. I didn't think of Asclepias syriaca since it doesn't live where I do and I've never seen it.
Pete Dunkelberg said:
That's a great picture. The plant looks like Asclepias incarnata, also called swamp milkweed. Where was the photo taken?
Swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) has a narrower leaf, a pinker flower, and a flatter umbel. I suspect that the species shown in this wonderful photo is common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.
I'll take Dan's word for it. )
Paul Burnett · 9 December 2008
Dan said:
Pete Dunkelberg said:
That's a great picture. The plant looks like Asclepias incarnata, also called swamp milkweed. Where was the photo taken?
Swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) has a narrower leaf, a pinker flower, and a flatter umbel. I suspect that the species shown in this wonderful photo is common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.
It seems to be a common milkweed - see http://billvosslerbooks.com/images/Not-so-Common_Milkweed_flower.jpg or http://www.ontariowildflower.com/wildflower_waste2.htm#milkweed
kamaka · 10 December 2008
My favorite group of insects, these mimic moths.
"Is this the moth I heard about that shows mimicry of a bee?"
No. There's a "bee moth" I've seen in native prairies (Wisconsin) that has "pollen sacks" on it's hind legs. It looks and behaves just like a bee, but a bit slower. Amazing.
This creature looks like hummingbird moths I've seen, but the coloration does have the look of a bumblebee. What to make of that?
Laura · 9 August 2009
I just saw one of these in my backyard in Eastern NC. The moth and a hummingbird were feeding on a lavendar butterfly bush.
12 Comments
Mikayla · 8 December 2008
Is the the moth I heard about that shows mimicry of a bee?
RBH · 8 December 2008
Stanton · 8 December 2008
Pete Dunkelberg · 8 December 2008
That's a great picture. The plant looks like Asclepias incarnata, also called swamp milkweed. Where was the photo taken?
Glenn Branch · 8 December 2008
They Might Be Giants has a song -- "Bee of the Bird of the Moth" (YouTube) -- about hummingbird moths...
RBH · 8 December 2008
Dan · 8 December 2008
Pete Dunkelberg · 9 December 2008
Thanks Dan. I didn't think of Asclepias syriaca since it doesn't live where I do and I've never seen it.
RBH · 9 December 2008
Paul Burnett · 9 December 2008
kamaka · 10 December 2008
My favorite group of insects, these mimic moths.
"Is this the moth I heard about that shows mimicry of a bee?"
No. There's a "bee moth" I've seen in native prairies (Wisconsin) that has "pollen sacks" on it's hind legs. It looks and behaves just like a bee, but a bit slower. Amazing.
This creature looks like hummingbird moths I've seen, but the coloration does have the look of a bumblebee. What to make of that?
Laura · 9 August 2009
I just saw one of these in my backyard in Eastern NC. The moth and a hummingbird were feeding on a lavendar butterfly bush.