Cecropia silkmoth
Hyalophora cecropia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Body is red with a white collar and white bands on the abdomen. Wings are dark brown with white hairlike scales giving a frosted appearance; forewings are red at the base. Crescent spots and the area outside the postmedian line are red on all wings.
Wing Span: 4 5/16 - 5 7/8 inches (11 - 15 cm).
Life History: Females lay rows of 2-6 eggs on both sides of the leaves of small host trees or shrubs. Eggs hatch in 10-14 days. Young caterpillars feed in groups on leaves; older caterpillars are solitary. The cocoon is attached along its full length to a twig; to escape predation by rodents and birds, the cocoon is usually constructed in a dark, protected area.
Flight: One flight from March-July in most of the range; two flights in the Midwest, from May-early June and then 2 weeks later.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various trees and shrubs including box elder (Acer negundo), sugar maple (Acer saccharinum), wild cherries and plums (Prunus), apples (Malus), alder and birch (Betulaceae), dogwoods (Cornus), and willows (Salix).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Successional habitats in many areas including urban and suburban environments.
Range: Nova Scotia and Maine south to Florida; west across southern Canada and the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains.
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.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 337 - 360 of 2147 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 25, 2019
Submitted by: Smcnall84
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 26, 2019
Observation date: Jun 23, 2019
Submitted by: CShaughnessy
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 25, 2019
Observation date: Jun 23, 2017
Submitted by: bikingplumber
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jun 23, 2019
Observation date: Jun 19, 2015
Submitted by: woody meristem
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 23, 2019
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Kneerhof
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2019
Observation date: Jun 19, 2019
Submitted by: Jphrose
Region: Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Jun 20, 2019
Observation date: Jun 17, 2019
Submitted by: Aeilts@ymail.com
Region: Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 19, 2019
Observation date: Jun 18, 2019
Submitted by: Abeyers
Region: Fallon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 18, 2019
Observation date: Jun 16, 2019
Submitted by: Diane Borsato
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 16, 2019
Observation date: Jun 16, 2019
Submitted by: mdbeebe
Region: Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 16, 2019
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: Jasminro
Region: Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 14, 2019
Observation date: May 31, 2019
Submitted by: Stevef
Region: Winnebago County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: stmbrooks
Region: Ross County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 03, 2019
Submitted by: Aterry
Region: Yankton County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 05, 2019
Submitted by: Extreme
Region: Davison County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: Sandkbrassard@g...
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 11, 2019
Observation date: Jun 10, 2019
Submitted by: kammer
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 11, 2019
Observation date: Jun 10, 2019
Submitted by: samokc
Region: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 11, 2019
Observation date: Jun 10, 2019
Submitted by: a-o
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 10, 2019
Observation date: Jun 10, 2019
Submitted by: hwisniewski8
Region: Wood County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jun 10, 2019
Observation date: May 30, 2019
Submitted by: malcolmgardener101
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 09, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: cengfer
Region: Onondaga County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: PrincessLilly
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: Cecropia1
Region: Delaware County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 08, 2019
- ‹ previous
- 15 of 90
- next ›