Western sheepmoth
Hemileuca eglanterina (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Highly variable. Upperside of forewing is yellow-orange to cream to pink with black markings. Upperside of hindwing is yellow-orange to orange with narrow to wide black markings. Form denudata (northwestern Wyoming west to Washington, south through the Central Valley of California) has no markings on either wing. Subspecies shastaensis (northern California and southern Oregon) has a pink forewing with diffuse black markings or is mostly black with some pink spots.
Wing Span: 2 9/16 - 3 7/16 inches (6.5 - 8.7 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in early morning and mate in late morning. Females lay eggs in rings on plant stems. Eggs overwinter and hatch in April and May. Young caterpillars feed together in groups and when they are older they feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in loose cocoons in the leaf litter or in burrows in soft soil, and adults emerge from July-September. At high elevations and northern latitudes, 2 years are needed to complete development. The cocoons overwinter and in the spring the adults emerge and start the cycle again.
Flight: One brood from June-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Mountain lilac (Ceanothus), mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), snowberry (Symphoricarpos), currant (Ribes), wild rose (Rosa), willow (Salix) and others.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: From sea level to at least 8400 feet in a variety of habitats including chaparral, pine and redwood forests, oak woodlands, and riparian areas.
Range: Southeastern Alberta west to Vancouver Island, British Columbia; south to central Montana, Wyoming, central Colorado, northern Arizona, and southern California.
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 49 - 72 of 237 verified sightings

Observation date: Jul 08, 2016
Submitted by: Bixia
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 14, 2021

Observation date: Jul 21, 2018
Submitted by: Scott Burgess
Region: Humboldt County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 14, 2021

Observation date: Aug 25, 2021
Submitted by: Smidget
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: reyes.carmiii
Verified date: Oct 13, 2021

Observation date: Jul 01, 2021
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 12, 2021

Observation date: Sep 06, 2019
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 11, 2021

Observation date: Jul 16, 2021
Submitted by: tsimpson
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 24, 2021

Observation date: Jul 13, 2021
Submitted by: Artemisia
Region: Clallam County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 14, 2021

Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: Bettie Pomeroy
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 11, 2021

Observation date: Jun 30, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 01, 2021

Observation date: Jun 23, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 24, 2021

Observation date: Jun 06, 2021
Submitted by: aniesiamedina
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 07, 2021

Observation date: May 30, 2021
Submitted by: gcozens
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 30, 2021

Observation date: Aug 30, 2016
Submitted by: cbruner
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 17, 2021

Observation date: Aug 03, 2017
Submitted by: datilson
Region: Lake County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 17, 2021

Observation date: Jul 21, 2017
Submitted by: uberpixel
Region: Linn County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 17, 2021

Observation date: Jul 21, 2018
Submitted by: Tzacol
Region: Washington County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 14, 2021

Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Lake County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 23, 2021

Observation date: Jul 03, 2018
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 05, 2021

Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: azisaki
Region: Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 02, 2021

Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: dcl5818
Region: Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021

Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: ahwelch
Region: Douglas County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021

Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Smokey102977
Region: Washington County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021

Observation date: Aug 21, 2017
Submitted by: Refixsen
Region: Blaine County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 13, 2020

Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: jenstout
Region: Ada County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
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