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 409 - 432 of 2147 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 19, 2018
Submitted by: franpope
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 21, 2018
Observation date: May 31, 2018
Submitted by: rlong0115
Region: Clay County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: stoney
Region: Maryland, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Jun 18, 2018
Submitted by: Nahele26
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: presley
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 08, 2018
Observation date: Jun 30, 2018
Submitted by: Tabethaf
Region: Winona County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 05, 2018
Observation date: Sep 14, 2018
Submitted by: holster124
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 21, 2018
Observation date: Sep 08, 2018
Submitted by: franpope
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 10, 2018
Observation date: Jun 06, 2011
Submitted by: JoAnne L Thornton
Region: Tioga County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Sep 06, 2018
Observation date: Aug 20, 2018
Submitted by: Andrea Pawluk
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 05, 2018
Observation date: Sep 02, 2018
Submitted by: Sheryl Johnson
Region: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 03, 2018
Observation date: Jul 05, 2013
Submitted by: Jacqueline.L
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 28, 2018
Observation date: Aug 24, 2018
Submitted by: besaw142
Region: Calumet County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 28, 2018
Observation date: Aug 26, 2018
Submitted by: Lukes40
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 26, 2018
Observation date: Aug 15, 2018
Submitted by: tweedie969
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 23, 2018
Observation date: Aug 03, 2018
Submitted by: dstonebraker
Region: Hendricks County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 23, 2018
Observation date: Jun 26, 2018
Submitted by: LadyMothra
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 18, 2018
Observation date: Aug 17, 2018
Submitted by: GarrettZ
Region: Oneida County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 17, 2018
Observation date: Jun 19, 2018
Submitted by: PeteLicht
Region: Woodbury County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Aug 13, 2018
Observation date: Aug 11, 2018
Submitted by: Jbirch
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 12, 2018
Observation date: Aug 11, 2018
Submitted by: ROBIN ARMSTRONG...
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2018
Observation date: Aug 09, 2018
Submitted by: joanneobrien
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2018
Observation date: Aug 03, 2018
Submitted by: soniaschenker
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 05, 2018
Observation date: Aug 05, 2018
Submitted by: Dmar
Region: Sullivan County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 05, 2018
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