Our First Cecropia!

Last year I was good and remembered that my bug dealer has a much better selection in the fall, so I called him up and got all sorts of new critters for this year.  As you saw earlier, the two polyphemus moths emerged the same evening and they were stunning, big moths, but today, the Granddaddy (or in this case Grandmama) of all moths emerged!  Meet Hyalaphora cecropia, the largest North American moth...

Had I managed to get the ruler straight, this moth would have almost a 6-inch wingspan!  Impressive girl!  This one has shown a very mild temperament, she didn't seem to be scared or mind being handled.  The Monkey Man is completely in awe over her!  And honestly, so am I!  Here she is in all of her grandeur hanging out on the boy's knee.

The wing pattern is really striking.  But it's her body that I am amazed by.  She is fuzzy beyond belief and her abdomen has such amazing color.  The next photo isn't optimal, but it's REALLY hard to get a photo in focus when the moth is "shivering" (making rapid wing movements when agitated).

 

The striped pattern is so cool.  And was I kidding about the fuzziness?!?!  The underneath portion of the wings are beautiful, but again, the body has such incredible color and patterns!  She's all polka-dotty!

And what about the face?  Is it the face only a mother could love?  Nope, this moth is just about the sweetest looking creature I have ever seen!  Just look at those big, black eyes and the feathery antennae!  And the fuzzy orange legs!!  Beyond cute!  Click on photo to see EXTREME close-up!

We are holding on to this little lovely until well after dark.  We need to release her when the birds are asleep and the bats are less active.  And as always, I am humbled by the beauty of this little animal.  I wish her the best of luck and I hope her pheromones attract a big handsome boy and they make lots of baby cecropias!  We need all the beauty we can get in this world!