Snowberry Clearwing

Snowberry Clearwing

Hemaris diffinis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Acadia National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

9 Verified sightings at Acadia National Park From 2019 to 2026
138 In all 5 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Snowberry Clearwing

Hemaris diffinis, the snowberry clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. This moth is sometimes called "hummingbird moth" or "flying lobster". This moth should not be confused with the hummingbird hawk-moth of Europe.

It is about 32–51 millimetres (1.25–2 in). The moth's abdomen has yellow and black segments much like those of the bumblebee, for which it might be mistaken due to its color and flight pattern similarities. The moth's wings lack the large amount of scales found in most other lepidopterans, particularly in the centralized regions, making them appear clear. It loses the scales on its wings early after the pupa stage due to its highly active flight tendencies.

It flies during the daylight much like the other hummingbird moths, but it may also continue flight into the evening, particularly if it has found a good source of nectar. The moth is found in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia (including the Cariboo region), southern Ontario, eastern Manitoba, and western Quebec in Canada. In the United States, this species has been located in southern California and Baja California Norte, Illinois, and east through most... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
10 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Snowberry Clearwing in Acadia National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowberry Clearwing sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 224th most-seen of the 405 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Snowberry Clearwing in Acadia National Park?

May and July–August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowberry Clearwing in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and September–April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Snowberry Clearwing?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snowberry Clearwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Snowberry Clearwing live in Acadia National Park?

Same genus: Hemaris

The closest relatives of the Snowberry Clearwing that you can see in Acadia National Park (genus Hemaris, Clearwings and Bee Hawkmoths) are Hummingbird Clearwing (about 10%) and Slender Clearwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Snowberry Clearwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Snowberry Clearwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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