description Graceful Clearwing Overview
The graceful clearwing, Hemaris gracilis, is a North American moth in the hawk moth family, Sphingidae. Like other clearwing moths in its genus, it loses many wing scales after emerging, leaving broad transparent areas, and flies during daylight while feeding from flowers with a long proboscis. Its rapid wingbeats and hovering behavior can make it resemble a hummingbird or large bee, an adaptation shared with related Hemaris species.
help Graceful Clearwing FAQ
Is the graceful clearwing a butterfly or a moth?
It is the moth Hemaris gracilis in the hawk moth family Sphingidae. Adults fly by day and mimic hummingbirds, with a wingspan of roughly 4 to 4.5 cm. [Butterflies and Moths of North America](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hemaris-gracilis?page=1)
Why are Hemaris gracilis wings transparent?
After emerging, the moth loses many wing scales, leaving broad clear areas bordered by reddish-brown scales. That clearwing structure is a defining feature of Hemaris, not evidence that it is a butterfly. [Massachusetts species profile](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/slender-clearwing-sphinx-moth)
What plants does the graceful clearwing use?
Caterpillars feed on heath-family plants including lowbush blueberry and Kalmia. Adults take nectar from flowers such as pickerelweed, blackberry, raspberry, dandelion, orange hawkweed, and phlox. [Butterflies and Moths of North America](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hemaris-gracilis?page=1)
How can I distinguish graceful clearwing from the similar H. thysbe?
H. gracilis has distinctive brown or reddish-brown banding on the side of the thorax and red dorsal legs. Those traits help separate it from the similar hummingbird clearwing, H. thysbe. [Butterflies and Moths of North America](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hemaris-gracilis?page=1)
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