This gorgeous Cecropia moth was on our back deck yesterday morning. It's about 5" across. The reddish parts are more orangey in real life. What a handsome fellow! It is a male because his antenna are wide and feathery.
(Click on photo for full width)The design is so intricate and beautiful. I particularly like the white dusting on the upper part of the forewings, the zigzagging white line from the wing tip to the black "eye" , and the wavy border lines. We haven't seen a cecropia moth in several years so it was a treat to have one show up. The caterpillar eats maple, cherry and birch so it has food in our bush. Check out Wiki's article on it for a very good photo gallery of its life stages. The mature caterpillar is a hoot - green with multicoloured dots and spikes, and blue feet.
What fabulous photos! The detail of design is amazing. You're so lucky to see one. Don't get them here that often.
ReplyDelete