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 25 - 48 of 331 verified sightings
Observation date: May 20, 2020
Submitted by: Todd Johnson
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 20, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2019
Submitted by: solson62
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: May 18, 2020
Observation date: May 31, 2019
Submitted by: Garrettsmith
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: May 18, 2020
Observation date: May 28, 2019
Submitted by: Dave Rezansoff
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 18, 2017
Submitted by: Crockit
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: stonehk
Region: Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: apan123
Verified date: Aug 15, 2019
Observation date: Jul 31, 2019
Submitted by: Sigrid McCabe
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: apan123
Verified date: Aug 15, 2019
Observation date: May 25, 2019
Submitted by: Butchmoth
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: apan123
Verified date: Aug 15, 2019
Observation date: Jun 26, 2019
Submitted by: Kylecyr
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 26, 2019
Observation date: May 28, 2018
Submitted by: paderalf
Region: Itasca County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jun 29, 2018
Observation date: Jun 07, 2018
Submitted by: ColinG
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 18, 2018
Observation date: Jun 30, 2017
Submitted by: Jwmoede
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 04, 2017
Observation date: Jul 16, 2016
Submitted by: lindley
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 04, 2017
Observation date: May 24, 2016
Submitted by: Idskehiemstra
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Oct 04, 2017
Observation date: Jun 06, 2016
Submitted by: Cath_O
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
Observation date: May 04, 2017
Submitted by: Photo Nut
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Aug 24, 2017
Observation date: Jun 17, 2017
Submitted by: mkcarlson
Region: Aroostook County, Maine, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Aug 03, 2017
Observation date: Jun 24, 2017
Submitted by: karrunge
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 26, 2017
Observation date: Jun 16, 2017
Submitted by: nanoliz
Region: Park County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 17, 2017
Observation date: Jun 03, 2017
Submitted by: lkrause2009
Region: Cascade County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 03, 2017
Observation date: Jul 31, 2016
Submitted by: DQtie
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 01, 2017
Observation date: Jul 10, 2014
Submitted by: GerryB
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Mar 15, 2017
Observation date: Jun 05, 2016
Submitted by: cheri0182
Region: Laramie County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 27, 2016
Observation date: Mar 16, 2016
Submitted by: Bill Kilday
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Jul 27, 2016
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