Cecropia silkmoth
Hyalophora cecropia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Body is red with a white collar and white bands on the abdomen. Wings are dark brown with white hairlike scales giving a frosted appearance; forewings are red at the base. Crescent spots and the area outside the postmedian line are red on all wings.
Wing Span: 4 5/16 - 5 7/8 inches (11 - 15 cm).
Life History: Females lay rows of 2-6 eggs on both sides of the leaves of small host trees or shrubs. Eggs hatch in 10-14 days. Young caterpillars feed in groups on leaves; older caterpillars are solitary. The cocoon is attached along its full length to a twig; to escape predation by rodents and birds, the cocoon is usually constructed in a dark, protected area.
Flight: One flight from March-July in most of the range; two flights in the Midwest, from May-early June and then 2 weeks later.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various trees and shrubs including box elder (Acer negundo), sugar maple (Acer saccharinum), wild cherries and plums (Prunus), apples (Malus), alder and birch (Betulaceae), dogwoods (Cornus), and willows (Salix).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Successional habitats in many areas including urban and suburban environments.
Range: Nova Scotia and Maine south to Florida; west across southern Canada and the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 2118 verified sightings
Observation date: May 24, 2019
Submitted by: Zowen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: May 24, 2019
Submitted by: Zowen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: May 25, 2019
Submitted by: Zowen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Apr 26, 1976
Submitted by: rengeman
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 19, 2022
Observation date: May 19, 2020
Submitted by: Jcgoodwin
Region: Worth County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: husker20
Region: Jackson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 17, 2022
Observation date: Jul 28, 2022
Submitted by: TioCeBoji
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 17, 2022
Observation date: Jul 28, 2022
Submitted by: TioCeBoji
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: Cookiesam
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 27, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2020
Submitted by: James Steen
Region: Montgomery County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2022
Submitted by: Artmommyof2
Region: Brown County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 26, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Rookeo
Region: Saratoga County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2022
Submitted by: Julia0316
Region: Jackson County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 26, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2022
Submitted by: Toni Bonk
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 25, 2020
Submitted by: agibson
Region: Campbell County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 15, 2022
Observation date: Jun 15, 2022
Submitted by: Sjlibra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 15, 2022
Observation date: Jun 09, 2022
Submitted by: KFPhillips
Region: New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 10, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2022
Submitted by: Behrens
Region: Sioux County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Jun 09, 2022
Observation date: Jun 04, 2022
Submitted by: Laurie Graham
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 07, 2022
Observation date: May 29, 2019
Submitted by: BarbSendelbach
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jun 05, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2022
Submitted by: jcat5507
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 04, 2022
Observation date: Jun 04, 2022
Submitted by: cdemers
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 04, 2022
Observation date: Jun 01, 2022
Submitted by: Rjfischer
Region: Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 02, 2022
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