Columbia silkmoth
Hyalophora columbia (S.I. Smith, 1865)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Wings are dark brown to red-brown. The gray area outside the white postmedian band does not contain any red. Crescent spots on the forewings and hindwings are white, although occasionally the spots on the forewing may be reduced or absent.
Wing Span: 3 1/8 - 3 15/16 inches (8 - 10 cm).
Life History: Females lay one or two eggs at the base of larch needles, or on leaves and twigs of other host plants. Caterpillars hatch in less than two weeks and are solitary feeders. The cocoon is compact and spun close to the ground on the trunk or stem of the host plant or on nearby thick undergrowth.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: In the east laricina); in addition, caterpillars in western Ontario eat pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), speckled alder (Alnus rugosa), and white birch (Betula papyrifera). In the west: western choke cherry (Prunus demissa), bitter cherry (P. emarginata), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), wild roses (Rosa), willows (Salix), buffalo berry (Shepherdia argentea), Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolius), and buckbrush (Ceanothus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Woodland with poorly drained, boggy, acid soil; suburban gardens; and a wide variety of wooded habitats.
Range: In the east Quebec and Ontario to Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Manitoba. In the west: Alberta and Montana south through the Rocky Mountain region to southwest Texas and into central Mexico. Comments: Glover's silkmoth, H. c. gloveri, once considered a separate species, is now treated as a subspecies of the Columbia silkmoth.
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 217 - 240 of 337 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 15, 2007
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Will Johnson)
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (Hugh McGuinness)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Will Johnson)
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Leroy Simon)
Region: United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Phynix Carlson)
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: Jun 17, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jason Martineau)
Region: Crook County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 04, 2010
Observation date: May 17, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Joe Smith)
Region: Granite County, Montana, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 02, 2010
Observation date: Mar 27, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jeanette Lewis)
Region: Eddy County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 28, 2009
Observation date: Jun 26, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Katie C. Helfert)
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 10, 2009
Observation date: Jun 18, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tyler Teter)
Region: Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Jul 10, 2009
Observation date: May 25, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Louise Maley)
Region: Ada County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: May 28, 2009
Observation date: May 19, 1985
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (James P. Tuttle)
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Jan 28, 2009
Observation date: Sep 02, 1975
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Kenneth C. Hansen)
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Jan 28, 2009
Observation date: Aug 09, 2002
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (B/B)
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Jan 28, 2009
Observation date: Jul 29, 1983
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (James P. Tuttle)
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Jan 28, 2009
Observation date: Jun 22, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 07, 2008
Observation date: Jun 29, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Spencer Frasher)
Region: Fremont County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (Hugh McGuinness)
Verified date: Jul 11, 2008
Observation date: Jun 25, 1979
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mitch Marcotte)
Region: Clearwater County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh (Tom Middagh)
Verified date: Jul 10, 2008
Observation date: May 29, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Dawn Moore)
Region: Clearwater County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Jun 04, 2008
Observation date: May 09, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Nancy Elson)
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: May 12, 2008
Observation date: May 01, 2007
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Phynix Carlson)
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Oct 17, 2007
Observation date: May 17, 2007
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Stephen T. Johnson)
Region: Granite County, Montana, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Jun 01, 2007
Observation date: Apr 18, 2007
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Scott Smith)
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Apr 30, 2007
Observation date: Jun 05, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Dionn Schaaf)
Region: Big Horn County, Montana, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Jan 30, 2007
Observation date: Sep 01, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Russell Witkop)
Region: Park County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Oct 11, 2006
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