The neighbor children were very excited yesterday afternoon. They had found a very large moth wandering around their carport, and were admiring it.
I was happy to see this fellow. He is a Polyphemus moth, named after one of the cyclops. It is a member of the silkworm family, and probably one of the largest moths in Missouri. The caterpillars feed on hardwood leaves, mainly oak, ash, hickory and sassafras. Goodness knows there is plenty for them to eat around here! The adults do not eat anything, do not even have a digestive system. They have about 5-7 days to find a mate and lay eggs before they die.
This one was nearing the end of its life, but still beautiful even though battered. It was happy to walk around on my hand as I took pictures of it. Notice that the eyes on the upper wings are transparent membranes, and so are the centers of the eyes on the lower wings.
That is one big beautiful moth.
It really is, isn’t it?
That is a big moth Ellie. The neighborhood is so fortunate to have you as a resident! The kids must always be saying” let’s go ask Ms Ellie”
Not just the neighbor kids — I am always helping young people with science projects. One of my clients brought over her niece for help with the flower collection project for her biology class just a week ago… I love being able to educate people.
Oh, my! What a beautiful and marvellous creature! I actually audibly gasped when I saw the first image. It’s huge too! I love it when you show us things I’ve never seen before.
It is truly a wondrous thing, this moth. Hopefully I will be able to find an Io moth this summer, they are also quite wonderful — not as big as this but beautiful.
Beautiful! I take it there won’t be any of these hanging about in the UK
No, this is a strictly North American species. The UK does have a family member, the Emperor moth, which is about half as big as the Polyphemus moth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavonia_pavonia
Wow! You don’t see something like that every day.
No, usually they are out at night. This one was old and getting ready to die, so it was out in the open.
Amazing!!
It truly is. That shot was not faked at all, the moth was fully six inches across. The feel of its brush feet clinging to me was very nifty.
Must have missed this first time round! Very cool.