Humming moth

[Richard L. Molay]

Dear Dave,

Your creature is a "Hummingbird Moth" sometimes called "Common
Clearwing" and known officially as Hemaris thysbe.

There's a beautiful color photo and a good descriptive text in THE
AUDOBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS AND SPIDERS.  I am
looking at the 1980 edition, ISBN:0-394-50763-0.  The photo is plate
#569 and the text is on page 778.

It isn't uncommon around here (near Tampa, Florida,) and it fools a lot
of people who think they are watching a hummingbird.

By the way, if you don't have the field guide mentioned above, you
should seriously consider buying a copy.  Identification of most insects
is fairly easy with this well-produced book.

I wish everyone would take the trouble, as you did,  to identify the
insects they "discover."

- rlm