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 1321 - 1344 of 2149 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 16, 2012
Submitted by: mdorosh
Region: Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 16, 2012
Observation date: May 30, 2002
Submitted by: Shmorgishborg
Region: Onondaga County, New York, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Apr 14, 2012
Observation date: Apr 05, 2012
Submitted by: kilgoreta
Region: Brazoria County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Apr 11, 2012
Observation date: Aug 26, 2011
Submitted by: ninjabel
Region: Gratiot County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Apr 10, 2012
Observation date: Aug 10, 2011
Submitted by: BlakeBrattina
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Apr 09, 2012
Observation date: Apr 03, 2012
Submitted by: mdolomieu1
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig
Verified date: Apr 05, 2012
Observation date: Mar 10, 2012
Submitted by: Kyle Jones
Region: Windsor County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Kent McFarland
Verified date: Apr 05, 2012
Observation date: Jul 06, 2011
Submitted by: ROBIN ARMSTRONG...
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 12, 2012
Observation date: Jun 10, 2011
Submitted by: butterflyid
Region: Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Mar 02, 2012
Observation date: Jun 22, 2003
Submitted by: MaryAnn Friedman
Region: Okaloosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 16, 2012
Observation date: Aug 04, 2011
Submitted by: Perriann
Region: Buchanan County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig
Verified date: Dec 28, 2011
Observation date: Sep 08, 2011
Submitted by: Deangutierrez
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 11, 2011
Observation date: Jun 07, 2010
Submitted by: annad95
Region: Trumbull County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 10, 2011
Observation date: Jun 15, 2011
Submitted by: sharonlily
Region: Jackson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Nov 26, 2011
Observation date: May 14, 2010
Submitted by: moellis
Region: Leake County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: rickypatterson
Verified date: Nov 05, 2011
Observation date: Sep 22, 2011
Submitted by: mflynn
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 14, 2011
Observation date: Aug 07, 2011
Submitted by: Tim_and_Jackie
Region: Florence County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 14, 2011
Observation date: Jun 03, 2011
Submitted by: ncampbell005
Region: Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 10, 2011
Observation date: Sep 06, 2011
Submitted by: Adrian-Grandpa
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2011
Observation date: Jul 10, 2003
Submitted by: pattiep9
Region: Will County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 04, 2011
Observation date: Aug 25, 2011
Submitted by: nytecrawller
Region: Anoka County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 28, 2011
Observation date: Jul 08, 2011
Submitted by: dscanman
Region: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 27, 2011
Observation date: Aug 22, 2011
Submitted by: HLHarkins
Region: Warren County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2011
Observation date: Aug 15, 2011
Submitted by: andrea rudan
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 15, 2011
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