Subject: Moth mates
Location: Dallas
August 31, 2013 7:10 am
I found a large cocoon that dropped from tree and after 10 days a beautiful moth hatched. The next night , a male moth found her and mated. He left that afternoon and she left that night. It was a beautiful but fast life cycle to observe but what kind of moth was she? She had fat furry body and he had huge plumed antennae.
Signature: Connie the one in dallas
Hi Connie,
You are so lucky to have witnessed and photographed the emergence and subsequent mating of your female Polyphemus Moth. Though the pheromones of the female are quite a powerful attractant to the male, if there are no mature males nearby, or if they encounter hungry predators while on the way, the luckless female will not mate and she will not produce fertilized eggs.
Female Polyphemus Moths that are lucky enough to mate will produce several hundred eggs to perpetuate the species.
