Columbia silkmoth
Hyalophora columbia (S.I. Smith, 1865)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Wings are dark brown to red-brown. The gray area outside the white postmedian band does not contain any red. Crescent spots on the forewings and hindwings are white, although occasionally the spots on the forewing may be reduced or absent.
Wing Span: 3 1/8 - 3 15/16 inches (8 - 10 cm).
Life History: Females lay one or two eggs at the base of larch needles, or on leaves and twigs of other host plants. Caterpillars hatch in less than two weeks and are solitary feeders. The cocoon is compact and spun close to the ground on the trunk or stem of the host plant or on nearby thick undergrowth.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: In the east laricina); in addition, caterpillars in western Ontario eat pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), speckled alder (Alnus rugosa), and white birch (Betula papyrifera). In the west: western choke cherry (Prunus demissa), bitter cherry (P. emarginata), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), wild roses (Rosa), willows (Salix), buffalo berry (Shepherdia argentea), Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolius), and buckbrush (Ceanothus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Woodland with poorly drained, boggy, acid soil; suburban gardens; and a wide variety of wooded habitats.
Range: In the east Quebec and Ontario to Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Manitoba. In the west: Alberta and Montana south through the Rocky Mountain region to southwest Texas and into central Mexico. Comments: Glover's silkmoth, H. c. gloveri, once considered a separate species, is now treated as a subspecies of the Columbia silkmoth.
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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 331 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 07, 2016
Submitted by: PowerhouseKSAP
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Jul 27, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Granite County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 11, 2016
Observation date: Jun 01, 2016
Submitted by: Noreen Tinney
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 01, 2016
Observation date: Apr 14, 2016
Submitted by: CañonCityKJ
Region: Fremont County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 22, 2016
Observation date: Apr 29, 2016
Submitted by: wattmelissa
Region: La Plata County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 22, 2016
Observation date: May 12, 2016
Submitted by: Lynne Baber
Region: Platte County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 13, 2016
Observation date: May 08, 2016
Submitted by: ultra_rob
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 10, 2016
Observation date: May 08, 2016
Submitted by: Brittnyp14
Region: Todd County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 09, 2016
Observation date: Apr 28, 2016
Submitted by: Lstrider
Region: La Plata County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: May 06, 2016
Observation date: May 04, 2016
Submitted by: csaughenbaugh
Region: Custer County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 05, 2016
Observation date: Apr 08, 2016
Submitted by: John Wilson
Region: Las Animas County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Apr 16, 2016
Observation date: Jul 01, 1964
Submitted by: Todd Stefanic
Region: Butte County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 04, 2016
Observation date: Jul 27, 2015
Submitted by: BrandonSehlmeyer
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Sep 15, 2015
Observation date: Jul 26, 2015
Submitted by: lfliegel
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 16, 2015
Observation date: Jun 22, 2015
Submitted by: UrsaRose
Region: Garfield County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Aug 11, 2015
Observation date: Jul 10, 2015
Submitted by: Waymoth
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Jul 28, 2015
Observation date: Jul 01, 2015
Submitted by: Aake
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Jul 28, 2015
Observation date: Jun 18, 2015
Submitted by: Cochrana87
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Jul 23, 2015
Observation date: Jun 20, 2015
Submitted by: amdurso
Region: Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 28, 2015
Observation date: Jun 12, 2015
Submitted by: pleaglefruit
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Jun 19, 2015
Observation date: May 24, 2015
Submitted by: sam samples
Region: Custer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Jun 06, 2015
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: stinglessbee
Region: Saguache County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Jun 06, 2015
Observation date: May 31, 2015
Submitted by: Ayatana Artists
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 02, 2015
Observation date: Jun 02, 2015
Submitted by: presj
Region: Bonner County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jun 02, 2015
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