Subject: Moth or Butterfly?
Location: Indianapolis, IN
May 6, 2015 11:35 am
My 8th grade science students noticed this “bug” today when we were outside collecting data for an experiment. We are curious about what it is. It is about 6 inches long wingtip to wingtip. We are in Indianapolis, IN. Thanks for your help.
Signature: Angela Fitzgerald
Dear Angela,
This Giant Silkmoth in the family Saturniidae is a male Robin Moth according to BugGuide, or a Cecropia Moth, Hyalophora cecropia, named after King Cecrops who had the body of a man and the tail of a serpent. We don’t know exactly what caused early naturalists cognizant of the binomial method of naming living creatures to name the lovely Cecropia Moth after such a hybrid, unless it has something to do with the enormous caterpillar of the Cecropia Moth. Your individual just emerged from its cocoon which the caterpillar spun in the crook of your wall under the ledge. We generally receive images of Cecropia Moth Cocoons on branches.
An easy way to always be sure if it’s a moth or a butterfly is to look at the direction the wings hinge and where their resting state is. Butterflies wings always rest closed and hinge upward. Moths always rest open and hinge downward.
That is a generality that is nearly often true, but many moths like this Polyphemus Moth frequently rest with wings folded and many butterflies like this Mourning Cloak frequently rest with wings flat.
I did not know if there was an actual rule, it was just an observation I made personally having never seen it to be false. Interesting to know that there are exceptions. Do you have pictures of those 2 examples perhaps?
We created links when we responded.
Sorry must be on the website. Don’t see the links here.