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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 385 - 408 of 2147 verified sightings
Observation date: May 15, 2019
Submitted by: stanggirl70
Region: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 15, 2019
Observation date: May 10, 2019
Submitted by: Donna61
Region: Warren County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 13, 2019
Observation date: May 13, 2019
Submitted by: Ihatethis23
Region: Upshur County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 13, 2019
Observation date: May 06, 2019
Submitted by: Shae96
Region: Perry County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 09, 2019
Observation date: May 06, 2019
Submitted by: bskibbe
Region: Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 08, 2019
Observation date: Apr 25, 2019
Submitted by: sedges
Region: Georgia, Stephens County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 07, 2019
Observation date: Apr 30, 2019
Submitted by: lisadill
Region: Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Ken Childs
Verified date: May 06, 2019
Observation date: May 04, 2019
Submitted by: Jim Smothers
Region: Morgan County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 05, 2019
Observation date: May 02, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 03, 2019
Observation date: Apr 27, 2019
Submitted by: Honeypie
Region: Brazoria County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 28, 2019
Observation date: Apr 26, 2019
Submitted by: kerri90
Region: Brazoria County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 28, 2019
Observation date: Mar 02, 2019
Submitted by: Allen Vajdos
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 16, 2019
Observation date: Apr 11, 2019
Submitted by: RDE1944
Region: Columbia County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 12, 2019
Observation date: Apr 06, 2019
Submitted by: fogfog
Region: Duval County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 07, 2019
Observation date: Apr 05, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Elizabeth Anderegg)
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 06, 2019
Observation date: Mar 31, 2019
Submitted by: PositiveLiving
Region: Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 31, 2019
Observation date: Mar 31, 2019
Submitted by: Jgreer52
Region: Jackson County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 31, 2019
Observation date: Mar 25, 2017
Submitted by: Denversong
Region: Bay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 21, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Wheeler
Region: Washington County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Mar 13, 2019
Observation date: Jan 11, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 10, 2017
Submitted by: freelkei
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 08, 2019
Observation date: Jul 17, 2018
Submitted by: pauley13
Region: Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Jan 01, 2019
Observation date: Oct 31, 2018
Submitted by: Shanbel101
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 06, 2018
Observation date: Sep 19, 2018
Submitted by: JLieberman
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 01, 2018
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