Female Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) in a lilac bush, showing the top of her wings.
One of the nice rewards of being a nature photographer is all the great nature related photo opportunities people tell me about. This post, the first in a series, follows the life cycle of the Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) from egg to cocoon, and is the fruit of one such call.
One of my brothers found a Cecropia cocoon and brought it home so his family could watch the moth emerge. They released it on their deck once it was ready to fly, but it liked the spot and stayed there, immediately going about attracting a mate. The females attract males by releasing pheromones, so it works to it’s advantage to stay put once it finds a good spot. Studies show that the male can home in on the female’s pheromones from over 7 miles away!
She was successful, and the next day found her busy on the deck with a male. Since my brother and his family were going on vacation shortly after this and wouldn’t be able to watch it lay eggs, he wondered if I was interested in “baby sitting.”
One of my brothers found a Cecropia cocoon and brought it home so his family could watch the moth emerge. They released it on their deck once it was ready to fly, but it liked the spot and stayed there, immediately going about attracting a mate. The females attract males by releasing pheromones, so it works to it’s advantage to stay put once it finds a good spot. Studies show that the male can home in on the female’s pheromones from over 7 miles away!
She was successful, and the next day found her busy on the deck with a male. Since my brother and his family were going on vacation shortly after this and wouldn’t be able to watch it lay eggs, he wondered if I was interested in “baby sitting.”
Female Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) in a lilac bush, showing the underside of her wings.
It seemed like a great opportunity to photograph the moth laying eggs, and the caterpillars as they grew. A little quick research showed that their foods of choice includes lilac and maple, along with birch, apple and cherry. We have plenty of maple and lilac in the yard. So I cut several lilac twigs and set them into small, rubber capped florists’ water vials to keep the leaves fresh. Then I fit an old aquarium with a screen top and set it up on our porch for the anticipated new arrivals.
I didn’t have long to wait. Within a couple days the female was laying eggs. Unfortunately, I was at work and wasn’t able to capture that shot. It was, however, quite a prolific egg layer and I could see I would be busy with feeding, cleaning up after, and taking pictures of little caterpillars!
I didn’t have long to wait. Within a couple days the female was laying eggs. Unfortunately, I was at work and wasn’t able to capture that shot. It was, however, quite a prolific egg layer and I could see I would be busy with feeding, cleaning up after, and taking pictures of little caterpillars!
Close up of a Female Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia).
Once the weekend came, I released the adult onto one of our clumps of lilacs and took these pictures. It didn’t fly off, though, and before nightfall I brought it back inside to avoid predators.
Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) eggs glued onto lilac leaves.
The moth stuck the eggs in place with a liquid "glue" that dried the brown color you see on these eggs.
Within another few days, small black caterpillars began hatching from the eggs. Stay tuned for more pictures of the caterpillars as they grow!
Within another few days, small black caterpillars began hatching from the eggs. Stay tuned for more pictures of the caterpillars as they grow!
