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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 721 - 744 of 2148 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 01, 2015
Submitted by: Harriet Miller
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 01, 2015
Observation date: Jun 30, 2015
Submitted by: Jenny Kalahar
Region: Madison County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 30, 2015
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: AllenRatz
Region: Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 30, 2015
Observation date: Jun 25, 2015
Submitted by: Wspack
Region: Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 29, 2015
Observation date: May 17, 2015
Submitted by: Teamtcb
Region: Richmond County, New York, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Jun 28, 2015
Observation date: May 05, 2015
Submitted by: Stu Adams
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 26, 2015
Observation date: Jun 26, 2015
Submitted by: essjay
Region: Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 26, 2015
Observation date: Jun 25, 2015
Submitted by: kellirdan
Region: Brown County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 25, 2015
Observation date: Jun 23, 2015
Submitted by: Mlbowen
Region: Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 24, 2015
Observation date: Jun 24, 2015
Submitted by: Camp Kennebec
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 24, 2015
Observation date: Jun 22, 2015
Submitted by: Reilly.blevins
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 22, 2015
Observation date: Jun 20, 2015
Submitted by: KayJack
Region: Butler County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 20, 2015
Observation date: Jun 20, 2015
Submitted by: candrasargent
Region: La Moure County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 20, 2015
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: Shellz
Region: Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 19, 2015
Observation date: Jun 19, 2015
Submitted by: nekbutterfly
Region: Orleans County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 19, 2015
Observation date: Jun 19, 2015
Submitted by: Flygurl22
Region: Virginia, Washington County, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 19, 2015
Observation date: Jun 19, 2015
Submitted by: keith hill
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 19, 2015
Observation date: Jun 17, 2015
Submitted by: DougH
Region: Hardin County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
Observation date: Jun 17, 2015
Submitted by: natelierich
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
Observation date: Jun 18, 2015
Submitted by: Vegan Butterfly
Region: Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
Observation date: Jun 17, 2015
Submitted by: natelierich
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
Observation date: Jun 15, 2015
Submitted by: nmiller
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 15, 2015
Observation date: Jun 14, 2015
Submitted by: allisonpalermo
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 14, 2015
Observation date: Jun 13, 2015
Submitted by: PATRICK GORETSKI
Region: Bay County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 13, 2015
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