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 961 - 984 of 2148 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 29, 2013
Submitted by: Rebbs
Region: Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: Ryan St Laurent
Verified date: Jul 30, 2013
Observation date: Jul 28, 2013
Submitted by: Tailgrab
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: Jim Edsall
Verified date: Jul 29, 2013
Observation date: Jul 25, 2013
Submitted by: Kalor
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 25, 2013
Observation date: Jul 20, 2013
Submitted by: cimjindy
Region: Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 21, 2013
Observation date: Jun 27, 2013
Submitted by: Taz
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 18, 2013
Observation date: Jul 15, 2013
Submitted by: DCHastings
Region: Knox County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Jim Edsall
Verified date: Jul 17, 2013
Observation date: May 10, 2013
Submitted by: mnorris107
Region: Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 15, 2013
Observation date: Jul 09, 2013
Submitted by: GreginNC
Region: Avery County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 13, 2013
Observation date: Jul 10, 2013
Submitted by: Hreed
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 11, 2013
Observation date: Jul 10, 2013
Submitted by: davenportmj
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 10, 2013
Observation date: Jul 01, 2013
Submitted by: Chefcliff
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 10, 2013
Observation date: Jul 07, 2013
Submitted by: MarleneH
Region: Rice County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 09, 2013
Observation date: Jul 01, 2013
Submitted by: Wall Doc
Region: Marquette County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 09, 2013
Observation date: Sep 02, 2011
Submitted by: rwplace
Region: Clay County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jul 07, 2013
Observation date: Jul 07, 2013
Submitted by: Laizita
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 07, 2013
Observation date: Jul 04, 2013
Submitted by: Brandenbug
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 07, 2013
Observation date: Jul 07, 2013
Submitted by: wolfspeaker
Region: Stevens County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 07, 2013
Observation date: Jul 04, 2013
Submitted by: Robert Benoit
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Jim Edsall
Verified date: Jul 06, 2013
Observation date: Jul 06, 2013
Submitted by: nspear1176
Region: Berrien County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 06, 2013
Observation date: Jul 03, 2013
Submitted by: cmgalleg
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 04, 2013
Observation date: Jul 04, 2013
Submitted by: valsurbey
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 04, 2013
Observation date: Jun 05, 2013
Submitted by: butterfly2
Region: Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: sharonstichter2
Verified date: Jul 03, 2013
Observation date: Jul 01, 2013
Submitted by: Oakhillpets
Region: Anoka County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 02, 2013
Observation date: Jul 01, 2013
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Brian Lehman)
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 01, 2013
- ‹ previous
- 41 of 90
- next ›