Tiger or Spinx Moth
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
December 4, 2010 12:31 am
I found this moth at night Dec. 03 . Judging by its large abdomen and orange stripes, I thought it might be of Arctiidae or Sphingidae .
Signature: Cybersage87
Buck Moth
Dear Cybersage87,
This is neither a Tiger Moth nor a Sphinx Moth. It is a Buck Moth, Hemileuca maia. Buck Moths belong to the same subfamily as Io Moths and they are classified in the family Saturniidae, the Giant Silkmoths. Adult Buck Moths fly during deer hunting season in the fall, hence their common name.
Buck Moth
¶ Posted 06 December 2010 § ‡ ° Eastern Buckmoth
Location: North Middle Tennessee
November 9, 2010 7:50 pm
Hi Daniel,
Insects are begining to become scarce in my area due to the weather getting colder. (around 28 degrees Fahrenheit last three nights) Today I walked around the yard searching for insects found a few still active, This beautiful moth being one of them. I belive I have identified it. I think it is a ”Eastern Buckmoth” Hemileuca maia. I don’t remember seeing one of these before, probably just never paid any attention to them. Thanks to you, your website and too much free time, I now actively search for ”bugs” to photograph. Thank you for everything you do and have a great day.
Signature: Richard
Buck Moth
Hi Richard,
How we would relish too much free time. Your Buck Moth photos are quite beautiful, especially the ones against the beautiful, clear, blue Tennessee sky.
Buck Moth
¶ Posted 09 November 2010 § ‡ ° What is this pupa?
Location: Indianapolis, IN
November 4, 2010 6:07 pm
I just found this pupa on the ground in our yard, underneath a tree. What on earth is it???? It is black and definitely alive because it keeps wriggling. Its surface is really hard and smooth with clearly defined ringed segments encircling half of it. On the end opposite the rings, there are 2 tear-drop shaped impressions — possibly wings? There is a series of holes down the sides. What is it? And, can we keep it in a jar to watch it come out without killing it?
Signature: Zion, age 6
Moth Pupa
Hi Zion,
We applaud your curiosity. This is a Moth Pupa, but we are a bit reluctant to attempt a species identification because so many moths that form pupa underground look similar. Our first guess was perhaps a Regal Moth, but we don’t think the outline of the wing pads (you were correct) seem different. Our second guess would be an Imperial Moth, and in our attempt to locate an image of its pupa, we stumbled upon this charming YouTube Video called Imperial Moth Caterpillar Goes to Pupate by Andrei Sourakov. The Pupa was not on screen long enough to compare. You pupa does seem to resemble the Imperial Moth Pupa, Eacles imperialis, posted on BugGuide. The series of holes are the spiracles by which the insect breathes. We would not recommend a jar for keeping this pupa alive. We would suggest a cage with potting soil in the bottom. Do not keep the potting soil to wet or too dry. Ideal temperature is a protected and unheated area, like perhaps a garage. Good Luck.
Thanks so much for your response. We have all been wondering what this treasure represents. We will do our best to keep it alive until it emerges. This is an interesting project for my son’s inquisitive mind.
¶ Posted 06 November 2010 § ‡ ° Unidentified Moth in Virginia
Location: Craig County, Virginia
November 2, 2010 1:27 pm
I found this moth sitting on a branch while hiking in Craig County, VA. I took this picture of it on a 70-degree late October day. When we approached the moth, it spread its wings out and revealed its ”furry” abdomen, which had black and reddish-orange horizontal stripes. It was approximately one inch in length. I thought it might be some type of tiger moth, however could not find any images that matched it. I hope you are able to help with the identification!
Signature: Jessie
Buck Moth
Hi Jessie,
You have submitted a Buck Moth, Hemileuca maia, a species that, according to BugGuide, is “Said to fly rapidly at mid-day through oak forests.“ The adults are seasonal, and tend to fly in October and November, though in the north, they are found in September, and in the extreme south they may be found as late as December. The flight of the adults coincides with deer hunting season, and the common name probably has its origin with buck hunters seeing the moths in the oak forests while hunting. Adults do not feed, and they have a very short life. They die soon after mating and reproducing.
¶ Posted 03 November 2010 § ‡ ° Imperial Moth
Location: Houston, TX
September 9, 2010 5:06 pm
Hi! I found a very large Imperial Moth on my back door. She’s been there all day and even though we’ve gone in and out of the house several times she hasn’t flown off. I can see one yellow egg. I’m worried that she’s mistakenly laid her eggs on our door, and wondering if I can move her or the egg to the tree, or should I just leave her alone? She’s quite beautiful and my son (4) can’t wait to see the caterpillars! Thanks!
Signature: Jenn
Imperial Moth
Hi Jenn,
We would advise you to leave this Imperial Moth where she is. If she continues to lay eggs and the eggs hatch, you can move the caterpillars to any number of trees that serve as food plants. According to BugGuide, the caterpillars food plants include “Bald Cypress, basswood, birch, cedar, elm, hickory, Honeylocust, maple, oak, pine, Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), sycamore, walnut.“
¶ Posted 10 September 2010 § ‡ ° moths
Location: Monteverde, Costa Rica
September 9, 2010 6:15 pm
Hi,
I was wondering if you could identify this species of moth for me. I saw them in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve.
Signature: Danielle
Rothschildia orizaba
Hi Danielle,
These moths are Giant Silkmoths in the genus Rothschildia. There are several different species found in Central America, and we believe your specimens are Rothschildia orizaba orizaba, one of the four species known to fly in Costa Rica. We identified a specimen back in 2008. BugGuide reports two species in the genus Rothschildia from Southern Texas and Arizona.
¶ Posted 10 September 2010 § ‡ ° Atlas Moth found in Canada
Location: Strait of Georgia, British Colombia Canada
August 13, 2010 1:39 am
The attached photos are of an Atlas Moth that landed on the bow of the Celebrity Mercury cruise ship on 8/7/2010. Thanks to your website I was able to identify it. Even though these guys are native to SE Asia this one managed to get blown to Canada, Strait of Georgia, B.C. Sorry about the poor quality of the photos. The moth landed in a crew only area of the ships bow and I had to use 380m telephoto and the blow it up some more.
Jim
Atlas Moth in Canada!!!
Hi Jim,
Despite the poor quality of your image, this does appear to be an Atlas Moth, and as you indicated, it is a Southeast Asian species, so it is considerably off course. We would discount your theory that it flew or was blown to Canada. We can think of two very plausible explanations. Since cruise ships travel around the world, it is not inconceivable that the caterpillar found its way on board and formed a cocoon, emerging thousands of miles from its native habitat. Atlas Moths are also raised in captivity, and people can purchase cocoons. Perhaps one of the passengers wanted to create a sensation and released the moth onboard.
Atlas Moth Takes a Cruise
¶ Posted 13 August 2010 § ‡ ° Unidentified moth
Location: California–Round Top Peak near Markleeville, CA (Alpine county)
August 10, 2010 12:54 am
I found what I think is a moth (perhaps a tiger moth?) while hiking up to Round Top peak at the beginning of August, at an elevation of around 10,000 ft. I am very curious about what kind of moth it is, and could not seem to match it to any other pictures I have seen. I would appreciate your help!
Amanda
Elegant Sheep Moth
Hi Amanda,
Your moth is not a Tiger Moth. The Elegant Sheep Moth, Hemileuca eglanterina, is a Buck Moth and it is closely related to the Giant Silkmoths. We once read that Buck Moths get their common name because they are often sighted in the autumn during buck hunting season. The Elegant Sheep Moth gets its common name because it is found in high elevations where sheep are put to pasture. The Elegant Sheep Moth is a highly variable species. According to BugGuide: “Forewing usually rose-pink and orange, usually with black bands, though sometimes absent. Hindwing is orange with a similar pattern, though variable: sometimes absent, sometimes covering most of hindwing. (2) Day-flying, reputed to fly fast and close to the ground.“ The most recent previous submission of an Elegant Sheep Moth we received in June 2009 was of the unmarked variation.
¶ Posted 10 August 2010 § ‡ ° 
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