Columbia silkmoth
Hyalophora columbia (S.I. Smith, 1865)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Wings are dark brown to red-brown. The gray area outside the white postmedian band does not contain any red. Crescent spots on the forewings and hindwings are white, although occasionally the spots on the forewing may be reduced or absent.
Wing Span: 3 1/8 - 3 15/16 inches (8 - 10 cm).
Life History: Females lay one or two eggs at the base of larch needles, or on leaves and twigs of other host plants. Caterpillars hatch in less than two weeks and are solitary feeders. The cocoon is compact and spun close to the ground on the trunk or stem of the host plant or on nearby thick undergrowth.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: In the east laricina); in addition, caterpillars in western Ontario eat pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), speckled alder (Alnus rugosa), and white birch (Betula papyrifera). In the west: western choke cherry (Prunus demissa), bitter cherry (P. emarginata), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), wild roses (Rosa), willows (Salix), buffalo berry (Shepherdia argentea), Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolius), and buckbrush (Ceanothus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Woodland with poorly drained, boggy, acid soil; suburban gardens; and a wide variety of wooded habitats.
Range: In the east Quebec and Ontario to Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Manitoba. In the west: Alberta and Montana south through the Rocky Mountain region to southwest Texas and into central Mexico. Comments: Glover's silkmoth, H. c. gloveri, once considered a separate species, is now treated as a subspecies of the Columbia silkmoth.
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 121 - 144 of 336 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 20, 2011
Submitted by: technoseur
Region: Iron County, Utah, United States
Verified by: Ranger Steve Mueller
Verified date: Oct 01, 2013
Observation date: Jul 30, 2013
Submitted by: Carrol56
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Aug 24, 2013
Observation date: Aug 07, 2013
Submitted by: schhim
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Josiah Gilbert
Verified date: Aug 23, 2013
Observation date: May 20, 2013
Submitted by: Zjhok
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: Jul 28, 2013
Observation date: May 05, 2013
Submitted by: montanadriver
Region: Cibola County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 22, 2013
Observation date: Jul 02, 2013
Submitted by: JuanitaCharter
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 10, 2013
Observation date: Jul 10, 2013
Submitted by: FSohm
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 10, 2013
Observation date: Jun 08, 2012
Submitted by: Mbelkin
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 05, 2013
Observation date: Jun 29, 2013
Submitted by: merlot_rosebud
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jul 02, 2013
Observation date: Jun 30, 2013
Submitted by: Nancyann
Region: Park County, Montana, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jul 01, 2013
Observation date: Jun 03, 2013
Submitted by: Sawgone23
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 28, 2013
Observation date: Jun 19, 2013
Submitted by: michelle03509
Region: Cascade County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 20, 2013
Observation date: Jun 16, 2013
Submitted by: Ohls45
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 18, 2013
Observation date: Jun 07, 2013
Submitted by: egemini76
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 16, 2013
Observation date: Jun 11, 2013
Submitted by: Swennym
Region: Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 12, 2013
Observation date: Jun 02, 2013
Submitted by: w0x0f
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 06, 2013
Observation date: Jun 03, 2013
Submitted by: bairalli
Region: Bannock County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: kent
Verified date: Jun 05, 2013
Observation date: Jun 05, 2013
Submitted by: Page11
Region: Laramie County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: kent
Verified date: Jun 05, 2013
Observation date: May 18, 2013
Submitted by: lalait
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 20, 2013
Observation date: Apr 05, 2013
Submitted by: raejeanprather
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Apr 30, 2013
Observation date: May 25, 2012
Submitted by: sarah_richer
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 07, 2013
Observation date: Jun 03, 2011
Submitted by: ellenjones6
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: Ryan St Laurent
Verified date: Oct 15, 2012
Observation date: Jun 05, 2012
Submitted by: 311texan33
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 07, 2012
Observation date: Apr 26, 2012
Submitted by: drshvatz
Region: Douglas County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Sep 07, 2012
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