Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1217999

Columbia silkmoth
Hyalophora columbia

Observation date: April 20, 2019
Date notes: Mid April, found while searching for cocoons
Submitted by: momonami
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: It was early-mid April, so before the moths began to emerge. The park I work at had a prairie fire that touched some of the tamarack trees on the property. I found the cocoon while rummaging through the burnt tamaracks near our pond. Although, the outside of the pupae was melted, it was still identifiable based on the host plant, size of the cocoon, and the size of the pupae. The cocoon was multi-layered like the cecropia's but they're usually differentiated by their size, as the cecropia cocoons are much larger, and there were no other kinds of trees near where I found the cocoon, leading me to believe this was a Columbia moth. I don't have a picture of a caterpillar or an adult moth, but I noticed there weren't any recorded sightings near where I am on this site and wanted to see if I could make this contribution.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: February 03, 2021
Coordinator notes: None.
Checklist region(s): United States, Michigan, Oakland County