Hemaris diffinis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowberry Clearwing sighting in Point Pelee National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 118th most-seen of the 196 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and July–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowberry Clearwing in Point Pelee National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and September–April, the lowest months.
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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Snowberry Clearwing sightings, Point Pelee National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 30%), Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 20%) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Snowberry Clearwing that you can see in Point Pelee National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Virginia Creeper Sphinx (about 10%), Lettered Sphinx (about 10%) and Pandorus Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Snowberry Clearwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Point Pelee National Park (8 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.
