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 529 - 552 of 2148 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 15, 1979
Submitted by: Indy Entomologist
Region: White County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Sep 06, 2017
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: wwittkop
Region: Johnson County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Jul 01, 2017
Submitted by: JLB4199
Region: Anoka County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Jun 24, 2017
Submitted by: Samantha Anna
Region: Stearns County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Aug 09, 2017
Submitted by: clap0011
Region: St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 28, 2017
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: Tyoder
Region: Tipton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 19, 2017
Observation date: Jun 16, 2017
Submitted by: wgram
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 19, 2017
Observation date: Aug 16, 2017
Submitted by: JASEnviro
Region: McHenry County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 18, 2017
Observation date: Aug 09, 2017
Submitted by: JoyS
Region: Yellowstone County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 17, 2017
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: Kurt R. Schwarz
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 15, 2017
Observation date: Jul 12, 2017
Submitted by: Death_Cloud
Region: Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2017
Observation date: Aug 10, 2017
Submitted by: michelewarren2225
Region: Scioto County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 10, 2017
Observation date: Aug 09, 2017
Submitted by: saric3
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2017
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: love butterflies
Region: Schuyler County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 05, 2017
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: SteveRenellK
Region: Harrison County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 05, 2017
Observation date: Jun 11, 2015
Submitted by: jheigl
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 02, 2017
Observation date: Jul 15, 2017
Submitted by: the meowking
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 02, 2017
Observation date: May 12, 2015
Submitted by: Lilaceous
Region: Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 31, 2017
Observation date: Jun 29, 2016
Submitted by: kkuecker26
Region: Rock County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 28, 2017
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: Marsha211
Region: Broome County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 25, 2017
Observation date: Jul 17, 2017
Submitted by: Stefanike
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 24, 2017
Observation date: Jul 20, 2017
Submitted by: dhubicz
Region: Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 22, 2017
Observation date: Jul 17, 2017
Submitted by: Katie Jean
Region: Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 17, 2017
Observation date: Jun 23, 2017
Submitted by: marshallbw72
Region: Williamson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 16, 2017
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