rss mating Luna Moths
Hello again! I saw these beauties outside today, in Nottingham, Pa. I have seen many lunas over the years, and even found an egg case, but never have seen 2 mating. I hope this means more moths for me in near future. Enjoy,
Lee Weber
Hi Lee,
Thanks so much for sending the most romantic photo we have seen in a long time.
Dear Bugman,
I found this moth on my living room window screen here in the Sierra Nevadas of Northeastern California. I looked through your photos of Sphinx moths and did not find one like him. Can you tell me what he is? I also had the pleasure of finding a Ceanothus Silk moth on the wall of my house the other day! I will attach a couple photos for you! Thank You,
Carrie Baum
Susanville , CA
Hi Carrie,
We probably had still not posted the image we received from Canada on June 9 of a Wild Cherry Sphinx, Sphinx drupiferarum. That image showed the resting position and it is great that you have supplied us with an image of the underwings as well as a finger for scale.
butterfly, moth, what is it?
Hello,
Last night we had a visitor on the porch and this morning two. I have been trying to figure out what they are all day so I can share with my 9 year old daughter who is very curious about them. We have figured out that they are male and female. Could you tell me what they are and a bit about them please? Thank you,
Kelli
Hi Kelli,
These are mating Polyphemus Moths. The male is the one on the left with the large feathery antennae, the better to sense his mate’s pheromones. The female is the one on the right with the bulkier body, the better to lay 100s of eggs. The Polyphemus Moth has a large pair of “eyespots” on the underwings to startle birds into thinking they are a threatening creature. The Polyphemus Moth was named for the legendary cyclops Polyphemus, a one eyed giant, in Homer’s Odyssey.
Really strange Bug
Hello!
We "Spotted" this bug in our back yard on our Rose of Sharon Bush. Can you tell me what it is? We think it is some kind of moth, we have never seen anything like it. It is Beautiful!!
Eileen – Cincinnati, OH
hi Eileen,
This is a Giant Leopard Moth or Eyed Tiger Moth, Hypercompe scribonia.
Large Moth
We live near Kelowna, BC. I found this large moth resting on my fence one morning, and cannot identify it. Any suggestions?
Thanks, in advance.
Howard
Hi Howard,
Your large moth is a Wild Cherry Sphinx, Sphinx drupiferarum, and you can read up on it on Bill Oehlke’s awesome website.
tiny diurnal moth
hi there,
i took this photo a few weeks ago near nederland colorado. it is very tiny and i thought it was a butterfly till i got home and enlarged the photo. i’ve been searching your web site some and also in some books and have not discovered who it is yet. perhaps you can help. i have appreciated your help in the past and look forward to finding out who this wee one is. thank you so much,
venice kelly
Hi Kelly,
Sadly, we don’t know what your lovely little moth is, but we are bound and determined to get you an answer, just not at the moment. We are going to request assistant from our local Mt Washington expert in Lepidoptera, Julian Donahue. We can recommend that you try the Moth Photographers Group website for additional research. Please let us know if you find the answer.
Update: (06/13/2008)
This widespread diurnal geometrid is the Black-banded Orange (Macaria truncataria). You can see a good write-up of its distribution (transcontinental northern North America) and biology at: [Entomology Collection]
Julian
Luna Moth???
could you tell me what this is ? seen one flying around and thought it might be the same kind as my cocoon. Hey I found this cocoon the other week and beleive it is a luna moth after visiting your website. It did have a little whole in the cocoon , so i decided to open it a little and see if the bugger was still alive , Sure he was . moves around once in abit. The reason i am e-mailing you is because one of the moths on your site was found on oHio , which you had mentioned was pretty far north. Well i live in the Northern Panhandle of idaho , about 5 miles from canada and in 24 years of living here , i have never found something like this. How long do they usually take to hatch ? going on two weeks now , but its been very cool outside and even inside. any info wold be greatly appreciated . Thank you
This is a Ceanothus Silk Moth, probably the same as your cocoon.
Time for Luna Moths in Muskoka
Found this Luna Moth today (June 6) hanging from a hosta leaf in our garden under a white birch tree. The discarded cocoon was a few inches away from the stem of the hosta. Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada Bye now,
Barbara Taylor
Hi Barbara,
We have gotten many nice Luna Moth photos since our last posting on May 16, but we have been holding out for a northern sighting. Your Canadian specimen is our northernmost siting thusfar this year. Your lady looks to be full of eggs and we hope she has an opportunity to mate.
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