Attributes of Hyalophora cecropia
Cecropia silkmoth
Hyalophora cecropia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Body is red with a white collar and white bands on the abdomen. Wings are dark brown with white hairlike scales giving a frosted appearance; forewings are red at the base. Crescent spots and the area outside the postmedian line are red on all wings.
Wing Span: 4 5/16 - 5 7/8 inches (11 - 15 cm).
Life History: Females lay rows of 2-6 eggs on both sides of the leaves of small host trees or shrubs. Eggs hatch in 10-14 days. Young caterpillars feed in groups on leaves; older caterpillars are solitary. The cocoon is attached along its full length to a twig; to escape predation by rodents and birds, the cocoon is usually constructed in a dark, protected area.
Flight: One flight from March-July in most of the range; two flights in the Midwest, from May-early June and then 2 weeks later.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various trees and shrubs including box elder (Acer negundo), sugar maple (Acer saccharinum), wild cherries and plums (Prunus), apples (Malus), alder and birch (Betulaceae), dogwoods (Cornus), and willows (Salix).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Successional habitats in many areas including urban and suburban environments.
Range: Nova Scotia and Maine south to Florida; west across southern Canada and the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Hyalophora cecropia
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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May 14, 2013 | whbauer | Fort Bend County, Texas, United States | May 15, 2013 | Details |
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May 11, 2013 | salycat | Albemarle County, Virginia, United States | May 15, 2013 | Details |
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May 08, 2013 | graska | Brazoria County, Texas, United States | May 11, 2013 | Details |
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May 10, 2013 | jdnewber | Ohio County, Kentucky, United States | May 11, 2013 | Details |
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May 03, 2013 | kimannwallis | Gaston County, North Carolina, United States | May 07, 2013 | Details |
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March 02, 2013 | jacobt | Texas, United States, Williamson County | April 18, 2013 | Details |
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March 17, 2013 | JAKeverline | Texas, Travis County, United States | March 28, 2013 | Details |
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March 18, 2013 | JAKeverline | Texas, Travis County, United States | March 28, 2013 | Details |
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March 20, 2013 | christylynne | Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States | March 21, 2013 | Details |
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March 21, 2013 | Rainbow | Hays County, Texas, United States | March 21, 2013 | Details |
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March 19, 2013 | ChrishaPotter | Bell County, Texas, United States | March 19, 2013 | Details |
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March 17, 2013 | ezekiel | Texas, Travis County, United States | March 18, 2013 | Details |
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June 21, 2009 | naftz78 | Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States | March 13, 2013 | Details |
| July 02, 2004 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details | |
| July 01, 2001 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details | |
| April 12, 1999 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details | |
| July 18, 2009 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details | |
| August 11, 2007 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details | |
| June 19, 2010 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details | |
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June 24, 2009 | tjantscher | Story County, Iowa, United States | January 07, 2013 | Details |
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May 02, 2012 | Moondusted | Sevier County, Tennessee, United States | December 18, 2012 | Details |
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June 29, 2008 | BrookeArmstrong | New Brunswick, Canada | December 17, 2012 | Details |
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April 25, 2012 | broganjd | Cowley County, Kansas, United States | November 25, 2012 | Details |
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May 11, 2012 | abra526 | Shawnee County, Kansas, United States | November 25, 2012 | Details |
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August 08, 2012 | curtis.lehman (Rory Bower) | Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States | November 20, 2012 | Details |
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August 24, 2011 | Domestic | Crawford County, Ohio, United States | November 08, 2012 | Details |
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June 16, 2012 | ellenjones6 | Franklin County, New York, United States | October 15, 2012 | Details |
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June 30, 2009 | Sissymac | Greenwood County, Kansas, United States | October 10, 2012 | Details |
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June 12, 2012 | arlynan | Ontario, Canada | October 07, 2012 | Details |
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May 05, 2012 | proberts | Rockingham County, Virginia, United States | October 03, 2012 | Details |
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June 11, 2012 | rollyson09 | Summit County, Ohio, United States | October 03, 2012 | Details |
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June 04, 2011 | akahearoltz | Chisago County, Minnesota, United States | September 18, 2012 | Details |
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August 19, 2012 | Marvelwood School | Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 24, 2012 | jeffreyincoventry | Windham County, Connecticut, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 09, 2011 | Califala22 | Kent County, Rhode Island, United States | September 16, 2012 | Details |
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August 06, 2012 | Appy-Brown | Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States | September 16, 2012 | Details |
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May 22, 2012 | Kwlynn | Callaway County, Missouri, United States | September 13, 2012 | Details |
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July 26, 2012 | Whoohoo19 | Sussex County, New Jersey, United States | September 11, 2012 | Details |
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July 27, 2012 | khatin17 | Vermont, United States | September 11, 2012 | Details |
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June 05, 2012 | Gigggls | Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States | September 10, 2012 | Details |
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May 06, 2011 | Jeffrey Davidson | Los Angeles County, California, United States | September 10, 2012 | Details |
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August 11, 2012 | Naomi | Manitoba, Canada | September 01, 2012 | Details |
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June 26, 2011 | ikhaya | Johnson County, Kansas, United States | August 28, 2012 | Details |
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June 11, 2010 | lilkriskattn | Rhea County, Tennessee, United States | August 27, 2012 | Details |
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August 19, 2012 | rayers12 | Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States | August 22, 2012 | Details |
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May 25, 2012 | thmzup | Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States | August 21, 2012 | Details |
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August 09, 2012 | kmlaf | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | August 19, 2012 | Details |
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August 18, 2012 | prairie fairie | Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States | August 19, 2012 | Details |
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August 17, 2012 | twil | Ontario, Canada | August 17, 2012 | Details |
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March 10, 2012 | Kyle Jones | Windsor County, Vermont, United States | August 14, 2012 | Details |
