So large they took me by surprise!
Hello BugMan-
I was working in my yard (NE Florida, Jacksonville area) yesterday and took a break to sit under the oak tree and saw these HUGE moths! I didn’t know what they were at first, so I took some pictures of them. My kids thought they were so cool, and they were very velvety soft (see closeup picture), so we are browsing your wonderful site trying to find out what they might be. I am trying to teach the kids that not all bugs are bad or dangerous. I’m highly allergic to bees, wasps, etc., and that in order to know what is what we have to learn about all bugs, and that some bugs are REALLY cool! (We’ve seen some praying mantis that are fun to watch.) At first I thought these were Sphinx moths, but their eyes and antennae are not as readily visible as most of the other photos you show. In fact, I couldn’t see any eyes! Also, they were resting with wings more perpendicular than parallel to the tree. I didn’t think to put a measuring tape near them for size, but the light bulb you see is a standard mini Christmas tree bulb, so maybe that will give a good enough reference point. Can you identify them, please? And you have my permission to post the pictures here, or at any friend’s site.
Thanks in advance-
KC

Hi KC,
What a great photo of Pine Devil Moths, Citheronia sepulcralis. The smaller moth is the male.

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amazing butterly/moth in SF
Hi~
We live in San Francisco, CA, and found this Butterfly/Moth had laid it’s eggs on the side of our building. Do you have any idea what it is? It’s body was approximately 4 inches in length, wingspan when outstretched approximately 6-7 inches. It was huge and gorgeous. Please see attached photos. Thanks for your help!
Josephine and Chris Tobin

Hi Josephine and Chris,
We suspect that someone is playing an April Fool’s Day joke on you or that you are playing one on us. The Cecropia Moth is a species found east of the Rocky Mountains. Since pupae are readily available, this could be an escapee from a neighbor that raises Giant Silk Moths. We seriously doubt it could have strayed into your area on its own. Did you see the unicorn on the Golden Gate Bridge?

hi daniel~
my husband chris and i are amazed—-this is NO joke—–maybe an escapee, but definitely not a hoax. my son and i were retrieving our trash bins outside of our house on tuesday morning and he was the one who spotted it first! it sat perched on our front steps for almost 6 hours or so, and in fact dropped five eggs (which you might have seen in the photo, too), which are still there (but don’t seem to be growing). we watched it for a long time….it was moving, opening and closing it’s wings, moving it’s position by a few inches, and ultimately, flew away. we want to know if there’s anything we can do to save the eggs. believe me, lots of people stopped on the sidewalk in disbelief—–it was giant and exquisitely beautiful. i can send more pics if you want—-but it is just nice to know what it was. thanks for your help—and no, i didn’t see the unicorn:) best,
josephine

Thanks for the update Josephine. We believe this must be an escapee then. The eggs might be fertile if she encountered a male moth before taking flight, but adult female Saturnids are full of eggs and will lay infertile eggs if they don’t mate.

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Polly Polyphemus Poses for Proper Portrait
What’s That Bug is the coolest site I’ve found this year! Nice work! After perusing your many great photos I find your contributors seldom get the lepidoptera to sit for proper portraits. Fortunately I have on hand many stunning portraits of Polly, the polyphemus moth who brightened our Michigan winter. Check the story on
http://detroitsubway.com/images/polyphemus/PolyphemusMoth.html
She emerged by surprise in January from a larva collected on our front lawn last August. For two weeks she graced our household, clinging passively to our tamarind tree by day and raising hell by night, laying eggs on our windowsills and draperies. I think she’s a stunning specimen, spanning over 6" as you can see in one shot on the website.
Karl
Sterling Heights, MI

Hi Karl,
Thanks for your fascinating story. I hope our readership doesn’t crash your website with all the traffic. Your portrait of Polly reminds us of a Rembrandt painting.

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