Moths' Day Out!
July 6, 2009
The female is about twice the size of the male, and swollen with eggs.
This week two adult Royal Walnut Moths emerged in our back yard. This moth is related to the silkworm moth family, or Saturniidae. The female was about 6 or 7 inches long, from her furry head to her gorgeous wing-tip. Several of us wanted to “pet” them. They looked so soft, so plump and furry. But that would have been rather rude, don’t you think? The markings on the body are remarkable. The moths hung together on the plant stem all day long. In the evening the female left to lay her eggs in the tree tops.
Last year's photo of the Hickory Horned Devil. This is one of North America's biggest caterpillars.
Late last summer, we saw the amazing caterpillar of the Royal Walnut Moth (photo right). The caterpillar’s common name is Hickory Horned Devil.
What competitive advantage do these carnival face markings confer to the moth? There’s a reason in all of this glorious color and pattern, somewhere… I still want to pet them.
