Large orange moth
June 28, 2010
We have a wide variety of moths each day in the foyer of our apartment complex, but this morning I saw something completely different next to my neighbor’s door. It is the largest moth I have ever seen, next to a Luna Moth. I originally thought it may be a Cecropia Moth because of the orange body, but the markings on the wings look different than any photos I have found online.
Shelly B.
East Tennessee
Royal Walnut Moth
Good Morning Shelly,
Your lovely moth is a Royal Walnut Moth, Citheronia regalis, is the adult form of the largest caterpillar in North America, the formidable looking Hickory Horned Devil.
¶ Posted 28 June 2010 § ‡ ° butterfly
June 25, 2010
This pair of butterflies were found today on my backporch screen. I can’t identify them nor have I ever seen them before. They appear to be mating and they really haven’t moved in hours. Can you idetify them?
thefootballref
canfield, ohio
Mating Prometheus Moths
Dear thefootballref,
What a wonderful image of mating Prometheus Moths. They exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, with the male being darker and smaller, and with a different wing shape. BugGuide has an excellent profile of this Giant Silk Moth which is also called the Spicebush Silkmoth.
¶ Posted 26 June 2010 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love What kind of moth
June 14, 2010
This moth hung upside down in a tree next to my home all day. What is he and why was he hanging upside down???
Melody
Muskegon, Michigan
Polyphemus Moth
Hi Melody,
We cannot say for certain why this Polyphemus Moth, Antheraea polyphemus, is hanging upside-down, except perhaps it was more comfortable. We are setting your letter and photo to go live next week since we will be out of the office for a week and we want to maintain a schedule of daily updates.
¶ Posted 21 June 2010 § ‡ ° Lunar Bug??
June 10, 2010
I got this picture from my niece and I came on to see if it was a Lunar Bug but you had no information for it. So I thought I would send you the picture. This was taken in Maine.
Take care Carol
Maine
Luna Moth
Hi Carol,
Your Lunar Bug is a Luna Moth. Each year we like to document the first Luna Moth sighting we get from Maine as an indication of what is happening with the weather. We generally get the first Luna Moth images of the year in February from Florida.
Letter from Tiffany
June 11, 2010
Luna Moth in WI
Hi,
I want to thank you for your wonderful website! I have been looking at your pictures of Luna Moths for years and was SO excited when I finally saw one here in Wisconsin last week! It was the most beautiful insect I have ever seen and I knew exactly what it was, thanks to you!!
Tiffany
We are envious Tiffany. Despite growing up in Ohio, we have never seen a living Luna Moth in the wild, and now that we are in California, there is not much chance. Next week we will be in Ohio for a week, and we hope we are lucky enough to see a Luna Moth.
As Big as my hand butterfly or moth?
June 10, 2010
Found June 10, 2010
I have no idea about identifying bugs but this wonderful giant was on my back porch and i can’t help myself with the curiosity. Its body is what was the most striking instead of the wings. It is extremely bright red with white stripes.
Please relieve my curiosity!
Kasey
Hannibal, Missouri
Cecropia Moth
Hi Kasey,
This is a positively gorgeous photo of a Cecropia Moth. It is one of two candidates for the largest Giant Silkmoth or Saturniid Moth in North America. The other candidate is the Polyphemus Moth. Luckily, in the world of insects, the loser and winner contests like that could care less which is the biggest. Alas, the world of academia is not so altruistic.
P.S. She is a female Cecropia Moth. Had we written back to you sooner, we would have told you to watch an night to see if she attracted a mate or six. Female Giant Silkmoths release pheromones that will attract a male from miles away. We identified her as a female because of her antennae. The antennae of the male Giant Silkmoths are much more feathery, because the antennae are the sense organs that pick up the scent of the female’s pheromones.
¶ Posted 11 June 2010 § ‡ ° Strange large butterfly
June 11, 2010
Found this in downtown Winnipeg Manitoba Canada in early June 2010. Any idea of the name of this beautiful specimen ? I have never seen anything like it in the city or in Canada for that matter. It was quite large…with wings open it was almost as long as a hand. The body was very fat and roughly 2 inches long.
Stef in Canada
Winnipe Manitoba Canada
Cecropia Moth
Hi Stef,
This is a Cecropia Moth. Your letter was the second in a few days that mistook a Cecropia Moth for a butterfly. We have to search for the other letter and post it as well because the image resolution is much higher than your photo.
¶ Posted 11 June 2010 § ‡ ° what kind of moth?
June 11, 2010
This moth bug was sitting on my back patio so I grabbed the camera and took 2 pics of it front and back. It looked like a baby bat at first but I also saw an Indian luna moth as well in the following days. I live in Central Florida but my backyard is next to a nature preserve so it is very lush. Can you help identify it? It resembles the oleander hawkmoth in some features but not exactly.
gatorgirl
Central Florida
Spotted Apatelodes
Hi gatorgirl,
The first time we received a photo of a Spotted Apatelodes, Apatelodes torrefacta, we thought it must be a Sphinx Moth or Hawkmoth. It is actually a Giant Silkmoth. You can read more about the Spotted Apatelodes on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 11 June 2010 § ‡ ° Moth ID
June 5, 2010
I would greatly appreciate an ID on these moths. The one looked like a cecropia, but I wasn’t sure. I know that patterns can vary considerably depending on location. Thank you!
Andrea
St. Peters PA
Female Promethea Moth
Hi Andrea,
Of the three species of moths in the genus Callosamia, we believe your specimen is a female Promethea Moth, Callosamia promethea, also called a Spicebush Silkmoth. We are basing this on a photo posted to BugGuide. Our second choice would be a female Tulip Tree Silkmoth, Callosamia angulifera, also posted to BugGuide. We will tackle your second moth separately.
¶ Posted 05 June 2010 § ‡ ° 
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