Io moth
Automeris io (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Upperside occasionally males from the spring brood will be mostly brown. Female forewings are brown or brownish purple to red and the bands and eyespots may or may not be apparent. Hindwings of both sexes are yellow to brownish orange with yellow or orange margins. Each hindwing has a large black and blue eyespot with a white dash in the middle.
Wing Span: 2 - 3 1/8 inches (5 - 8 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge during late morning or early afternoon, and mating takes place in the late evening. Females lay clumps of eggs on leaves or stems of the host plants. Young caterpillars feed together as a group and move in long "trains" while older caterpillars feed alone. Papery cocoons are spun in litter under the host plant or in crevices.
Flight: One brood in the north from May-June, two to three broods in the south from February-September, several broods throughout the year in the Florida Keys.
Caterpillar Hosts: A variety of plants including hackberry (Celtis), willow (Salix), mesquite (Prosopis), redbud (Cercis), currant (Ribes), blackberry (Rubus), and pear (Pyrus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous forests, thorn scrub, and suburban areas.
Range: Maine west across southern Canada to southeastern Manitoba, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Colorado; south to the Florida Keys, the Gulf states, Texas, and New Mexico; Mexico south to Costa Rico.
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.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1466 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 09, 2026
Submitted by: nommeroni
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 10, 2026
Observation date: Jun 05, 2026
Submitted by: Nikkyroo
Region: Wexford County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 06, 2026
Observation date: Jun 05, 2026
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 05, 2026
Observation date: May 31, 2026
Submitted by: PaulaLyons
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 31, 2026
Observation date: May 20, 2026
Submitted by: BugWeedle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 26, 2026
Observation date: May 18, 2026
Submitted by: BugWeedle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 20, 2026
Observation date: May 14, 2026
Submitted by: mannyarce
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 14, 2026
Observation date: May 07, 2026
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Lynda Hyman)
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 08, 2026
Observation date: Jan 12, 2026
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 23, 2026
Observation date: Aug 01, 2025
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Berrien County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 02, 2025
Observation date: Oct 18, 2025
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 19, 2025
Observation date: Sep 12, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 12, 2025
Observation date: May 15, 1996
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: May 16, 2025
Submitted by: hsmarshall
Region: Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 06, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Sep 09, 2025
Observation date: Sep 07, 2025
Submitted by: Gale Colby
Region: Muskegon County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 07, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: Doug DeNeve
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 18, 2025
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 18, 2025
Submitted by: Stefka5
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: Jun 28, 2025
Submitted by: Shane Miller
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: Kimberly Miner
Region: Androscoggin County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 19, 2025
Observation date: Jun 20, 2025
Submitted by: Michele Pollock
Region: Brown County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 05, 2025
Observation date: Jun 21, 2025
Submitted by: Shane Miller
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 05, 2025
Observation date: Jul 25, 2025
Submitted by: saramsmith
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 25, 2025
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