big green moth
Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 7:01 AM
We’re in Petawawa, Onatario and recently have had several of these beautiful moths visit us. The smallest one we saw was bigger than any moth we’ve ever seen, and the largest spanned the palm of my hand.
Anderson Family
Petawawa, Ontario, Canada
Luna Moth
Dear Anderson Family,
Congratulations on your Luna Moth sightings. The Luna Moth, which is native to eastern North America from Florida to Canada, is probably the most distinctive North American Moth. It is unlikely that it could be confused with any other species. The Luna Moth is one of the Giant Silk Moths that only lives a few days as an adult, long enough to mate and lay eggs. It has no functional mouth parts and it cannot eat as an adult. Your sighting is our northernmost report this year. Florida sightings generally begin in February and as mild weather moves north, so do the Luna Moth emergences. The moth has spent its metamorphosis period in a pupa encased in a cocoon loosely spun around a leaf that falls to the ground and is buried in leaf litter.
Polythemus Love
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 10:13 AM
This couple was observed hanging from an impatian basket on my deck this morning in Kent, Ohio. The romance lasted all morning long.
Lifelong Moth Watcher
Kent, OH
Mating Polyphemus Moths
Dear Lifelong Moth Watcher,
We were lucky enough to see a female Polyphemus Moth on the observation tower at Fellow’s Riverside Garden in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown Ohio in early June. Your mating Polyphemus Moths are a welcome addition to our Bug Love section. Thanks for your contribution. The male with his more feathered antennae is the upper individual.
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Posted 30 June 2009
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Tagged: bug love
Please help us identify this beautiful moth!
Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 8:16 AM
Hey Mr. Bugman! We LOVE your website and use it to identify little critters we find around our wooden lot in North Central Maryland on the PA line. This morning we spotted this gorgeous moth, took pictures and immediately tried to identify it on your site…with out much success or time to spend looking. Please let us know if you can help us out. I have attached several pictures as it was so beautiful that I took A Lot! Thanks for all you do to provide such an educational site for us to view (we are homeschoolers, use it often and have spread the word to others)
Kindly, Valerie Corkran
North Central Maryland (Manchester)
Tulip Tree Silkmoth
Hey Valerie,
We love getting enthusiastic letters with wonderful photos like yours. This is a female Tulip Tree Silkmoth, Callosamia angulifera. You can read more about it on BugGuide. We feel confident that it is not the closely related and similar appearing Promethea Moth, Callosamia promethea.
Tulip Tree Silkmoth
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Posted 24 June 2009
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Huge moth on Lounge chair
Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Hello there, I came across this website a couple months ago when I was randomly surfing the internet. I think this is a great asset because I’ve always encountered some downright weird bugs here in the tropics. I encountered this moth early one morning after waking up. I must admit, I’m a sissy when it comes to bugs so I inched my way back inside my house without even taking my eye off the moth to ensure that it wouldn’t fly at me. lol. It was pretty big, about 5 inches across and I was amazed at how pretty it was and sort of silky looking. I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me what it is or at least offer a suggestion because I have been curious about it for a long long time. Thank you!
Petra
Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
Rhescyntis species from Trinidad
Hi Petra,
This is a Giant Silk Moth in the family Saturniidae, and the best place to identify specimens from this family from around the world is on Bill Oehlke’s private website: The World’s Largest Saturniidae Site. Since there was no way to search the species from Trinidad, we searched Venezuela. You should know that islands around the world are notorious (that is a good thing) for having endemic species and subspecies because the longer they have no contact with their nearest relatives on the mainland, the more evolutionary changes result in distinctly different populations. This is the foundation of Charles Darwin’s studies in the Galapagos Islands. We have identified you moth as being in the genus Rhescyntis and the two species found in Venezuela are Rhescyntis hippodamia and Rhescyntis hermes. Of the two, Rhescyntis hermes is the darker moth. The subspecies Rhescyntis hippodamia norax, which is found in Central America including Panama might be the frontrunner for the proper identification. We finally located an image of Rhescyntis hippodamia on the Moths of Belize website, and this was the only image of the genus we could find that has public access. It should be noted that your photo is not of the highest quality, and this might make exact identification quite difficult. Posting your letter and image has taken us over an hour due to the research and the lethargy of our long outdated computer. We really need to buy a new computer which will facilitate faster postings and enable us to post more letters per day. We have other work to do today and this may be our only posting today.
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Posted 20 June 2009
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Cecropia Moths
Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 5:36 PM
I found these two in my side yard this evening. I see others have also posted pictures of them. Can you give me more information? Are they more native to the Midwestern states?
Thank you,
Sandy
Lincoln, NE
Mating Cecropia Moths
Hi Sandy,
Though we have received several photos of mating Cecropia Moths, Hyalophora cecropia, in the past, we doubt that any are as gorgeous as yours. They clearly indicate the egg laden body of the fuller female and the more feathered antennae of the male which allow him to scent out the female’s pheromones. Yes, Cecropia Moths are native to the midwest as well as eastern states. BugGuide’s Data page does not indicate any submissions from Nebraska, but there are reports from Oklahoma and Texas to the south and the Dakotas to the north. Nebraska is certainly part of the range, though probably the furthest western portion of the range. As with most species distribution maps, there tend to be fewer individuals at the edge of a range, so sightings from Nebraska might be rare. BugGuide’s information page has this to say about the range and habitat: “Range East of the Rocky Mountains, from Nova Scotia south to Florida. (3) overlaps range of Columbia Moth in southern Canada and adjacent northern states
Habitat Attracted to lights and increasingly common in urban and suburban areas “ The information page on BugGuide also indicates Robin Moth as an alternate name, though this fascinating bit of information is news to us.
Mating Cecropia Moths
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Posted 15 June 2009
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Tagged: bug love
butterfly or moth?
Sat, Jun 13, 2009 at 8:24 AM
Found these two interesting specimens on our porch June12 2009. Don”t know anything about them just curious.
Ken Gagnon
Vancouver B.C. Canada
Polyphemus Moth
Hi Ken,
This is a Polyphemus Moth, one of the Giant Silk Moths.
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Posted 15 June 2009
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Pink, Cream and Yellow Colored Moth in Connecticut
Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 2:39 AM
Hello,
This beautiful moth was resting on the entrance to my SE Connecticut home in May, 2009. I’m curious what it is and also what kind of other information about it you could give me. It was about the size of a US quarter; possibly a bit larger.
Donna in Marlborough, CT
Marlborough, CT., USA
Rosy Maple Moth
Hi Donna,
This little beauty is a Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda. One of our readers once described it as a sherbet moth. It is related to the Giant Silk Worm moths that do not feed as adults. The Rosy Maple Moth is found in much of eastern North America including Florida. You can find out more by looking on BugGuide and also by searching our archives for previous postings.
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Posted 03 June 2009
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What kind of moth or butterfly is this?
Fri, May 29, 2009 at 5:29 AM
My mom found this insect on our back porch this rainy afternoon, and we have never seen anything like it! Can you tell us what it might be? It has brown and red and white wings and a white and red body, and also VERY BIG! Thanks!
Tori
North Augusta, Ontario
Cecropia Moth
Hi Tori,
Congratulations on your sighting of a Cecropia Moth, one of the largest North American moths.
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Posted 29 May 2009
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Luna Moth
Mon, May 25, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Hello, This morning 5.25.09 I was making my bed and opened my blinds that shows out to our front deck when I did I saw a bug that looked like a leaf.. so i took a picture and did some research and turns out it was the Canadian Luna Moth… I live in Maryland, does anyone know if it is common to see them here?? And this white moth was close by to it, is it a baby?? or a different moth.
Ashley A
Maryland
Luna Moth
Dear Ashley,
Luna Moths range over much of eastern North America, from Florida to Canada, and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma. They are quite common in some parts of their range, and quite scarce in others. Maryland is part of the range, but as to whether they are common in your area is a matter that must be verified by local statistics. Luna Moths reach their adult size after emerging from the cocoon and expanding their wings. They do not grow as adults. The growth is accomplished during the caterpillar stage. The white moth is not a baby Luna Moth.
Luna Moth?
Fri, May 22, 2009 at 6:43 PM
Hello! We are living in Northwest Florida now. Originally from Southern California. Lived In Hawaii for a total of 12 years. We thought we had seen a lot of amazing creatures, but this one was so beautiful! Wasn’t sure if it was a Luna Moth, but we looked at your website, and hoped we had narrowed it down. It didn’t seem to be as big as some people stated, but maybe it was young! I love your site, and refer to it for all the new things we encounter here! I found it on the back door mat.
Sheryl R.
Pensacola, Florida
Luna Moth
Dear Sheryl,
Your moth is indeed a Luna Moth. There is little likelihood that the Luna Moth would be confused with any other North American species. Since Luna Moths have an adult life of only a few days, and since the size of a Luna Moth is determined by the growth of the caterpillar and not the adult form, this moth has reached its maximum size. Not all Luna Moths are the same size and your specimen is just a smaller individual.
Unknown Moth In Michigan
Fri, May 22, 2009 at 8:38 PM
This moth “as you can see” is about the size of a 18 year old male’s hands.
He or she had red, what looked like furr on his back with a white pach “streak” going crossways on its back.
The Abdomen was also striped red black and white.
Season mid spring and time of night around 1130. The legs also being reddish color, would not know if this would help any.
Much obliged if this spicies of moth was known to anyone.
John Hayes
Michigan USA
Cecropia Moth
Dear John,
The Cecropia Moth, according to much of the information we have read, is considered the largest Saturniid Moth in the United States, though the Polyphemus Moth, a relative, might be equally as large. A primarily tropical species, the Black Witch, might be a solid contender for the species with the greatest wingspan, but the Cecropia Moth represented in your photo probably has the greatest wing surface area.
Clarification: The Black Witch is in the family Erebidae.
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Posted 23 May 2009
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Large Spotted Moth
Fri, May 15, 2009 at 10:24 PM
This month (May), we found this large moth on our backyard fence in the piney woods of East Texas. The wings were tan, with orange stripes and yellow spots. The body was large and orange. The entire moth was as large as the palm of my hand. My neighbor tells me she’s seen these around before, but I had never seen one.
Cheryl
East Texas (Lufkin)
Royal Walnut Moth
Hi Cheryl,
This is a lovely Royal Walnut Moth or Regal Moth. The caterpillar is the equally impressive, but frightening, though harmless, Hickory Horned Devil.
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Posted 16 May 2009
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