Subject: What’s this moth?
Location: Cherokee, NC
August 2, 2014 11:35 pm
Hi! While visiting Cherokee, NC I found this guy on the side of an ice cream shop. I love the colors and markings. I went through several pages on your site and will continue, but would love for you to identify it for me. A friend posted a pic of the same kind found in Atlanta, GA.
Signature: T Benefield
Dear T Benefield,
This beautiful moth is known as a Royal Walnut Moth or Regal Moth, and this is but our second report this year. Most years, we receive identification requests and submissions in June or July, though BugGuide does state: “Adults fly from late May to September.” Like other Giant Silk Moths in the family Saturniidae, the Royal Walnut Moth does not feed as an adult, and most individuals live about a week, long enough to mate and lay eggs.