National Moth Week is July 18-26!
Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.
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 625 - 648 of 2148 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 02, 2016
Submitted by: Saxty81
Region: Lenawee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 15, 2016
Observation date: Jul 04, 2016
Submitted by: Hilda Pomeroy
Region: Hamilton County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 15, 2016
Observation date: Jul 07, 2016
Submitted by: sirlouie
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 14, 2016
Observation date: Jul 14, 2016
Submitted by: MichaelWetlands
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 14, 2016
Observation date: Jun 28, 2016
Submitted by: atstrutz
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 13, 2016
Observation date: Jul 03, 2016
Submitted by: Patsy Ley
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 13, 2016
Observation date: May 31, 2016
Submitted by: SaraLawrence
Region: Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 13, 2016
Observation date: May 15, 2004
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 13, 2016
Observation date: Jun 06, 2016
Submitted by: Buzzellgroup
Region: Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 12, 2016
Observation date: Jul 07, 2012
Submitted by: Jcmacgougan
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 12, 2016
Observation date: Jul 09, 2016
Submitted by: Deb Spitz
Region: Washington County, Rhode Island, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 12, 2016
Observation date: Jul 10, 2016
Submitted by: Lilwonders7
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 10, 2016
Observation date: Aug 21, 2015
Submitted by: DanOmaha
Region: Douglas County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: kking216
Verified date: Jul 06, 2016
Observation date: Jun 24, 2016
Submitted by: rlempp
Region: Douglas County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: kking216
Verified date: Jul 06, 2016
Observation date: Jun 18, 2016
Submitted by: karmar
Region: Perry County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jul 03, 2016
Observation date: Jul 02, 2016
Submitted by: mmckay92
Region: Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 03, 2016
Observation date: Jul 02, 2016
Submitted by: Dan Myer
Region: Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 02, 2016
Observation date: Jun 16, 2016
Submitted by: CTNXI
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 01, 2016
Observation date: Jun 30, 2016
Submitted by: lostsoul77
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 30, 2016
Observation date: Jun 25, 2016
Submitted by: roush0229
Region: Mason County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 25, 2016
Observation date: Jun 25, 2016
Submitted by: MelissaSmall86
Region: Upshur County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 25, 2016
Observation date: Jun 22, 2016
Submitted by: CadeLake
Region: St. Joseph County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 24, 2016
Observation date: Jun 20, 2016
Submitted by: monamona11
Region: Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 24, 2016
Observation date: Jun 22, 2016
Submitted by: amy57689
Region: Vermillion County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 23, 2016
- ‹ previous
- 27 of 90
- next ›