Hyalophora cecropia – Cecropia

Family Saturniidae    Hodges # 7767

Caterpillar foods: alder, apple, ash, birch, box-elder, cherry, dogwood, elm, gooseberry, elderberry, maple, plum, poplar, white oak, willow, lilac, sweet gum  (Bugguide)

The colored knobs on the caterpillar contain bad smelling liquid,  probably for defense.  (Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society 1884)

To see information about rearing Giant Silk Moths – Click Here.

Most of the times I’ve seen Cecropias here have been when I’ve had a reared female and it called in males.  Either we don’t have many of them, or they don’t come to lights.  I’ve found a few cocoons, but they’ve always been either old and no longer occupied, or dead.

9/13/2023  This is the one caterpillar I’ve found here – on a Box Elder ‘bush’.  I brought it home and a few days later it made its cocoon.

 

6/15/2006  Reared female

hyalophora cecropia 6-15-06 1

 

6/19/2005  Mated pair – reared female, wild male

hyalophora cecropia 6-19-05 1

 

6/25/2005  eggs

hyalophora cecropia eggs 6-25-05 1

 

6/29/2005   first instar caterpillars

hyalophora cecropia 1st instar cat 6-29-05 1

 

7/11/2005  Second instar caterpillars

hyalophora cecropia 2nd instar cat 7-11-05 1

 

7/18/2006  Third instar caterpillar

hyalophora cecropia 3rd instar 7-18-06 1

 

8/17/2005  fifth instar caterpillar

hyalophora cecropia 5th instar cat 8-17-05 1

 

10/19/2008  wild cocoon

hyalophora cecropia cocoon 10-19-08 1

 

Two reared adults

6/14/2005  Female

 

6/16/2005  Male