Thursday, July 25, 2013

Imperial moth, so fuzzy!

Sitting on some catnip is is Eacles imperialis, the Imperial moth.

This moth ranges from Mexico to Canada, from the Rockies to the Atlantic. Their range is declining northward. It has two color forms, a black/orange color and a green/yellow form. The caterpillars eat oak, maple, and pine foliage. In the south they also eat sweetgum and sassafras.

Adults emerge annually to mate, about June through August. The adults do not feed. Males show larger patches of purple, and the females are generally larger and yellower.


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