Hummingbird Clearwing on a Rose of Sharon Bud

I had no clue what this was until I got home from the hike where I photographed it.

My wife and I took a 3-mile hike late this afternoon on the Union Transportation Trail (UTT) in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey.

It's a rail-trail that goes for about 7 miles or so and is mostly composed of that very fine crushed blue-chip stone, you know, the kind that loves to magically find its way inside your hiking boots within the first minute or two of the hike 😠

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Anyways, it stood out like a sore thumb, with its black and brown body, its body shape, and its partial-see-through wings.

At first, I thought it was a hummingbird and was shocked when it didn't buzz away the second I tried to get closer.

I kept inching towards it, and, still no movement. Maybe it was injured?

I got even closer - as close as possible with the so-so macro capability of my Sony RX100 V.

It was a pink Rose of Sharon bud that it was perched on.

After the hike, a stop for dinner at Los Pinos Mexican Restaurant, and getting back home, I did a little research and discovered that it's actually a moth called Hemaris thysbe, and which is often referred to as the hummingbird clearwing.

Here what Wikipedia has to say about this moth:
_{Hemaris thysbe, commonly known as the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the Sphingidae (hawkmoth) family. Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.}

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All images @cognoscere and taken on Sunday 07/23/2017 on the Union Transportation Trail (UTT) in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey (Sony RX100 V)