Cecropia Moth

Although I have a great job, it isn't often that I hear my co-workers laudibly expressing great joy when they walk into the office. However, today was one of those days. Last fall, one of my co-workers discoverd the cocoon of the Cecropia Silkmoth, Hyalophora cecropia. We kept the cocoon, stored in a glass vase for safe keeping, all winter and spring. And this morning, as Debbie walked into her office, she saw a fully formed, beautiful moth. This species is incredibly huge, as you can see from the photos. We let the moth outside when the temperatures warmed up, and I snapped these photos. We weren't worried about this one finding food. The adults don't eat, only the larval caterpillars do! My co-workers believe this moth is a female. Lets hope she finds a mate! Supposedly males can fly from miles, at night, following pheremones released by the lady moths. The moth was stunning. For excellent information about this species, check out an great page on the Butterflies and Moths of North American site.