Subject: Oculea silkmoth?
Location: Carbondale, Colorado
May 21, 2012 5:53 pm
My son and his friends found this beautiful moth outside of his school in Carbondale, Colorado today. We’ve never seen anything like it! Beautiful! What can you tell us about it?
Signature: Carbondale Mom
Polyphemus Moth
Dear Carbondale Mom,
Though the Oculea Silkmoth looks very similar, this is actually a closely related Polyphemus Moth. The Polyphemus Moth is a common species found in all 48 lower states and Canada. The much rarer Oculea Silkmoth has a range limited to parts of Arizona and New Mexico in mountainous regions.
¶ Posted 22 May 2012 § ‡ ° Subject: Some beautiful close up photos of what I believe is a Prometheus moth
Location: Watkins Glen NY
May 20, 2012 3:17 pm
Hey there! I visit your site requently; as someone living in the ’country’ who was not raised here (raised in a relatively bugless suburban area), I have questions all the time about bugs I come across, and you are an awesome resource. Last night was our first night warm enough to be out on the deck late into the night, and I had visitor. A huge moth I’d never seen before. Took some photos and he was hanging out so relaxed I gently, without touching his wings, scooped him up- and he hung out on my hand for awhile, resulting in some cool pics. I was coming here to share them with you, and there on the front page was what I believe to be ’my’ moth lol, although mine is much more of a beautiful red. I hope you might be able to use these photos to show the beauty of this guy. And of course, if it is not a Prometheus moth, do let me know 
Signature: MeganNY
Promethea Moth
Hi MeganNY,
We agree that this is a Promethea Moth, however, she is a female. Males are much darker and have more feathery antennae. The Promethea Moth can be distinguished from the similar Tulip Tree Silkmoth, according to BugGuide, by spots on the forewings: “Males are brown centrally, females yellowish brown. On females the angular white spots are largest on the forewings.” On your moth, the spots on the hind wings are larger.
Thanks for getting back to me Daniel. Thank you for your confirmation and correction on her sex (I was just using ‘He’ as a generic descriptor, I had no idea either way). She actually hung out on our deck again yesterday for a few hours, fanning her wings… I’ll have to do a little more research on what she could be going. I’ve never seen such large and beautiful moths as these… gotta love living in the country! I also saw a big green moth later that night, but she only stayed a second and I wasn’t able to get a photo. I see on your site the Luna moth, I’m pretty sure that’s what she was.
Thanks again!
¶ Posted 21 May 2012 § ‡ ° Promethea ranching
Location: South Illinois
May 16, 2012 9:02 pm
Sent you a picture of a female promethea earlier this spring. She found a date, and now I’ve got about 40 caterpillars. Here is a picture of date night, and 3 instars of promethea caterpillar and one aphid.
Signature: -Bert
Mating Promethea Moths
Hi again Bert,
We had your photo of this Promethea Moth and a Cecropia Moth together on the screen featured on our homepage for several weeks. We are going to feature this submission as well in anticipation of drumming up interest in National Moth Week events from around the country. You didn’t provide us with much additional information. Your subject line indicates that you are raising the caterpillars. Do you have them in a habitat? Are they feeding directly from trees in your yard? What trees are they feeding upon? Young caterpillars feed in groups. It is interesting that your photo shows three different caterpillar instars. Are they from different parents? We would expect that all eggs from one mating would develop at the same time. Here is a photo from BugGuide that shows the socially feeding caterpillars. Please provide additional information.
Promethea Moth Caterpillars
Update
May 17, 2012
All these caterpillars are from the same pairing. Don’t know if the slower-growing ones are sickly, or if this is a survival strategy, or if it is a result of how they are being fed. I keep them indoors in a terrarium with three baby-bottles full of tulip tree twigs harvested from around the neighborhood so I don’t make too big a hole in any one tree. One lesson learned so far is that the very young caterpillars like to go walkabout and if there is too much room in the tank and they will find a way to drown in all but the best-sealed water bottles, or get too far from a leaf and starve/dehydrate before they get back. Which is why I have about 40, instead of about 80. Attached are a few more bug pictures: group feeding, the cecropia from last month, and a small one for scale.
Promethea Caterpillars: Social Feeding
Thanks for the update Bert.
First Instar Promethea Caterpillar
Costa Rica moth
Location: Platanillo, Costa Rica
May 10, 2012 6:37 pm
This beauty was attached to the side of my casa today in Platanillo, Costa Rica – can you identify her? Your website contains a wealth of knowledge – thank you so much!
Signature: Paula
Possibly Automeris belti
Hi Paula,
This is one of the Giant Silkmoths, a group of large colorful moths, many with garish eyespots on the lower wings that have adapted to frighten off predators. Giant Silkmoths do not eat as adults and only live a few days to a week as adults. We believe we have identified your moth as Automeris belti and we will check with Bill Oehlke to verify that identification. Your photo reminds us of the colors of tropical sorbet.
Giant Silkmoth hiding its eye spots!!!
Bill Oehlke Concurs
HI Daniel,
Recently many new Automeris species were described.
If you have a more precise location in Costa Rica, that might help.
I cannot say for sure what it is. It might be belti, and that would be my
first guess, based on what I can see.
Platanillo, CR – 7 miles up from Playa Dominical. Thank you both for your help – it is such an incredible country to discover amazing new bugs! I have also seen another one of those inside my casa – I took it outside and it flew off to live another, eh few days – it’s wing-span was easily 7 inches across, yellow with spots
Folks: I looked at the link for the Automeris belti – I found this poor baby in my casa a couple of weeks ago 
He was not nearly as big as the pale yellow ones I’ve seen, but of course looks precisely like the one in your link. I have also attached a pic of a stunning butterfly, which I took about a month ago.
Thanks so much for peaking my interest in these fascinating creatures. I love being in Costa Rica – I am a native Texan, and the butterflies in Dallas don’t hold a candle to the moths here. Keep up the great work!
Automeris belti
Thanks Paula,
We will try to identify your butterfly and create a distinct posting for it.
¶ Posted 11 May 2012 § ‡ ° What’s this moth?
Location: Central CT
May 6, 2012 10:36 pm
I photographed this moth on an outbuidling on May 16, 2010. It’s very beautiful and I was wondering what it is.
Signature: Ken
Rosy Maple Moth
Hi Ken,
This is a Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda. They seem to be more common some years than others and we have not had a year with numerous sightings since 2005.
¶ Posted 07 May 2012 § ‡ ° Beautiful Luna Moth
Location: Boyce, Virginia
May 4, 2012 5:10 pm
I submitted a beetle for identification but I also wanted to share you my special visit from a Luna moth! I was honored it rested upon my hand for a moment after I saved it from a spider web.
Signature: Admin of Plants, Fungus & Bugs…Oh My!
Luna Moth
Dear Admin of Plants, …
The Luna Moth is surely the most distinctive of all North American Moths and many folks consider it to be the prettiest North American moth. Though you deprived a spider of a healthy meal, we have to honor you with our Bug Humanitarian Award tag.
Polyphemus Moth?
Location: Birmingham, AL
April 28, 2012 6:03 am
We came home this evening to find a visitor hanging out on our screen door. It’s about 5” across. It doesn’t have the ”feathery antennae” of male polyphemus moths, so I’m guessing it may be a female? Any help is appreciated! Also, it has stayed on the screen very still for several hours now, despite us going in and out of the door. Is this normal, and is the moth safe? Thanks!
Signature: T. Noland
Polyphemus Moth
Dear T. Noland,
Your identification of a female Polyphemus Moth is correct. A female Giant Silkmoth filled with eggs has a heavy cargo to lift, and since she does not feed as an adult, she is judicious about the expenditure of energy. If she does not mate, she will die without reproducing. If she stays in place releasing pheromones for several days, she doesn’t run the risk of falling prey to the many predators that would welcome a good meal provided by her body full of eggs. The male will be able to scent her out with his antennae. If she stays in place, she may eventually attract a mate and then she will fly off to lay eggs.
¶ Posted 28 April 2012 § ‡ ° Cecropia and Promethea
Location: South Illinois
April 24, 2012 1:52 pm
Here is a female Promethea and a male Cecropia hanging out on my screen.
We sent you a picture of a male Promethea we found last year.
Signature: Bert
Promethea (left) and Cecropia Moths
Hi Bert,
How lucky were you to witness this great scene. Folks lucky enough to live in areas where conditions are suited to sustaining Giant Silkmoths are likely to see them on a yearly basis.
¶ Posted 25 April 2012 § ‡ ° 
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