Observation date: May 19, 2014
Submitted by: Tammy Tisdale
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: My son Connor and I saw this beauty near the doors of CVS on Ellerbe Rd Shreveport, La. It was a beautiful, clear night. We both knew she was not just an average butterfly b/c of her beauty and great size. She looked as though she was made of velvet. She was not scared of us getting near her. Connor noticed she had a huge abdomen. She also looked very tired. I thought hard about taking her home with us as i was worried she was wounded and couldn't fly off. My son said " No Mom! Its the circle of life. She will be terrified! We need to leave her alone. She knows what she's doing." As soon as we got home, I went online to figure out what type of species this beauty was. We were so excited. We found the EXACT picture of the Cecropia silkmoth. After reading info, we realized it was a female b/c of her beautiful red velvet abdomen. We also think she may have been so exhausted from her flight here. We think she may have been pregnant as well. We were overjoyed to see this type of moth had never been cited in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was delightful to watch her. In the end, my son was right. With an adult life cycle of only 2-3weeks, it was indeed the " circle of life!"
Status: Resident
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: May 23, 2014
Coordinator notes: None.
