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.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 121 - 144 of 2116 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 17, 2021
Submitted by: sarabay
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 17, 2021
Observation date: Mar 30, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Van Otteren
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 31, 2021
Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: devjohnstone
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 23, 2021
Observation date: May 25, 2020
Submitted by: Karimari
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 23, 2021
Observation date: Jun 10, 2020
Submitted by: LacHeney
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 22, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2020
Submitted by: Donna Demick
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 22, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2018
Submitted by: NancyA
Region: Monroe County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 04, 2021
Observation date: May 29, 2020
Submitted by: twins9964
Region: Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 03, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2020
Submitted by: IngridFritz
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2020
Submitted by: Mrgier
Region: Jackson County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 14, 2020
Submitted by: alowry76
Region: Dickinson County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 14, 2020
Submitted by: alowry76
Region: Dickinson County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: May 16, 2020
Submitted by: marylouinc
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 27, 2021
Observation date: May 25, 2020
Submitted by: terryathomas
Region: Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 27, 2021
Observation date: Aug 31, 2020
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 07, 2018
Submitted by: lkalisz
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 16, 2021
Observation date: May 25, 2019
Submitted by: T.M.Aigner@gmail.com
Region: New Kent County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 12, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: frank liberty
Region: New London County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 20, 2020
Observation date: Aug 28, 2019
Submitted by: Chillagirl
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 15, 2020
Observation date: May 19, 2020
Submitted by: jrs0812
Region: Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Jul 29, 2020
Submitted by: ATower
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: May 22, 2019
Submitted by: BarbSendelbach
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 27, 2020
Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: lisagorn
Region: Otsego County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Nov 25, 2020
Observation date: May 26, 2016
Submitted by: wade wander
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 11, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 6 of 89
- next ›