@egordon88 's post has pics, and on this page you can see how large the caterpillars grow as well as the moths https://riversidenativetrees.com/giant-silkmoth-information/
edit: this photo does a good job of showing how beautiful they are https://www.earth.com/image/cecropia-moth-caterpillar/
So it’s all the silkworm moths? Or they all end in Cecropia?
I am trying to search on iNaturalist for them, how would I do that?
(I am so sorry!)
No worries! So cecropia moths are a species of giant silkmoth,
Hyalophora cecropia, and if you were interested in looking at other giant silkmoths, they are the subfamily saturniinae
Those are gorgeous. Alas, we do not have those here but we have butterflies called Cecropian whose huge caterpillars look like cousins. So between those and the tree, one of which I have in the garden, I was beyond confused.
Thank you for your patience!
I made a 5,800-mile road trip through the western U.S. in August and accomplished some mothing efforts on 10 camping nights in various habitats in Arizona, California, and Oregon. I wrote generally about the trip in this journal article:
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/gcwarbler/69457-biovac
As I say in the journal article, the biodiversity in the western U.S. is overwhelming at any scale. I still haven’t finished uploading all my moths–I have one last night’s mothing to upload–but the results can be examined with the following link. So far, over 300 species sorted out, many/most of which were new to me!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2022-07-31&d2=2022-08-26&place_id=any&taxon_id=47157&without_taxon_id=47224&user_id=gcwarbler&verifiable=any
As I’ve extolled to many of my Texas iNat friends: “Travel is taxonomically broadening!”
And BTW, @tyto19, you’re definitely exhibiting an understandable northern temperate latitude-attitude! Mothing is happily a year-round pursuit at my more southerly position, and our many friends in the Tropics and Southern Hemisphere will be keeping those moth ID engines humming!
So was it an assassin bug or a crab spider? I cannot decide. (So pretty though, that moth!)
It was a white-banded crab spider ( https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133287574 )
Also regarding your previous post I have no idea why they’re called cecropia moths, I don’t think cecropia trees are a host plant and there is very little range overlap of the two
My personal favorites, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130452957
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117777865
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130459798
I’ve had 391 moth species so far this year and we still have about another 2 months of good mothing (I had plenty last year through January 2 when the first significant cold front came through).
My favorites have been Diphthera festiva, Horama panthalon, and Gonocausta sabinalis. Unfortunately in South Texas, we don’t get Luna or any of the big silk moths :(.
My rarest has been Plagiomimicus caesium
Hyparpax aurora: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124213876
Catocala badia: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129847411
Catocala lacrymosa (first ever CT records): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133723023
Synanthedon scitula at a sheet: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/125736508
Satyrium favonius ontario at a sheet (lifer): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/122358830
Good year for Darapsa versicolor: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/128513773
A road trip to those areas sounds fun. The driving is a chore but the rewards are worth it. I think it also costs less money to camp and drive, plus you can bring all your equipment along.
(I added “in the northern hemisphere” to the topic’s title because I imagine in other parts of the world mothing season might be just beginning.)
I didn’t see anything particularly rare or uncommon but I had plenty of what I would consider personal wins!
I saw something in the genus Desmia last summer but didn’t get to see all of the characteristics necessary for a species-level ID. It was my “one that got away” for quite some time but I finally saw another one this season!
I saw my first emerald moth, a wavy-lined emerald. I also saw my first two prominents, a drab and a double-toothed. Prominent moths are some of my favorites so those two were extra exciting!
I saw a few tiger moths in the genus Apantesis and I never saw any last year. I thought that was a shame because they really are quite pretty in my opinion. I think this little guy was extra cute!
This Red Twin-Spot Carpet was far from unusual by moth standards, but the mite made it interesting. That one was new for me.
Looks like I had 498 to genus, with 484 down to species and the rest ID to higher taxonomic level. 235/225 for the year. I know I had several Michigan first records in iNat and I think some that aren’t in other sites either. This Peacock Brenthia sticks out as the moth of the year though. First Michigan record.
I just went mothing for the first time this year! I went mothing August, September, and just last week on my birthday. The front porch light also attracts them so I take photos when I see them hanging around there. Moths are my first love (one of my nicknames is actually Moth) but I spend most of my summer nights looking for cicadas (finally caught annuals emerging this year!) and I do see moths hanging around when I hike around out there. I saw an underwing but wasn’t able to get a photo of it. But now that I know about mothing I’m going to do it every month next year in between waiting for cicada season. I hope to see a cecropia!
As to finds for this year, I did get a photo of a wavy-lined emerald and finally got a photo of not one, but two clearwing moths in the garden! One of which landed on my finger for a moment.
I am a big fan of invertebrates in general so I got to see some really cool beetles, mantises, bees, butterflies, and lots of slugs this year which also made me happy.
I am so impressed with not only how many moths you all saw but that they are all identified! (Maybe because we are in the tropics and our seasons are different we have less of a “moth season” here?) We have many butterfly specialists, but generally my moths remain unaddressed unless I know what they are or they are very striking, like Eudesmia menea.
Anyway, this one was new to me and even though it is not extremely colorful I just found the patterning gorgeous. It makes me feel peaceful. (Whereas this one looks like a Star Destroyer and I when I look at it I find myself humming the Imperial March.)
I think location has a lot to do with it, with the USA and Canada having more users and, therefore, more people available, willing, and knowledgeable to help with identifications.
There are a couple of Korean users who help with my Korean lepidopteran observations but it feels very rare for me to get help from anyone outside the country. What help I do receive has primarily been from users in China and Japan, who, combined, have added identifications to about 7% of my lepidoptera observations, primarily butterflies. Can feel a bit lonely when comparing my iNaturalist experience with that of some other members here.
I know the feeling. I wonder sometimes if the taxonomic biases we see in iNat observations are self-reinforcing, i.e. people preferentially upload observations which they have learned from experience are more likely to be IDed.
Anyway, moths seem hard to find in California. Whether it’s because of the drought, or because I am in an area with lots of light pollution, I don’t recall seeing many moths. But with that said, on my farewell-to-California mini road trip a couple weeks ago, I did find a moth way out at the Armstrong Redwoods Preserve, inside the restroom. It isn’t colorful – subtly patterned in shades of gray – but I love it because it lives in the redwood ecosystem; an ecosystem where I would have liked to spend a lot more time.
This is Awesome! It’s nice to see so many others interested in moths.
@ItsMeLucy Those Black Witch moths are very cool looking. I’ve heard that some years stragglers can find there way as far north as southern Canada. I’m hoping someday one will show up at my lights.
@gcwarbler A western road trip is definitely on my bucket list. There are so many cool insects and a lot of cool birds to see.
@kicadacat I must warn you, mothing is addictive! :)
A few of my favorites from this season are:
Tolype velleda (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135766051) this one is particularly striking
Marimatha nigrofimbria (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134267313)
Cisseps fulvicollis (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/132119774)
Phragmatobia fuliginosa (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/132086456)
Ctenucha virginica (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/125939826)
Haploa confusa (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/125360644)
Eudryas grata (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124361476)
Estigmene acrea (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120363055)
and finally
Drepana arcuata (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/119272154)
