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Project Noah Nature School
Callosamia angulifera
Though no more than a few days old (giant silkmoths only live 5-7 days, just long enough to breed) this beauty looked like he had a very hard life. He was missing most of one antenna, & a large chunk of one hindwing & the opposite forewing was badly torn.
Semi rural wildlife habitat. Hanging out on a first floor window screen 50' from the tulip tree we planted last year.
I first spotted him last night around midnight & grabbed a step ladder so I could get close enough to photograph him. He is still on the screen now at 10 am, just occasionally flexing his wings but otherwise completely still. I suspect his short time is almost over. Hopefully he found himself a mate & we will soon see caterpillars in the tulip tree.
Spotted on Aug 8, 2012
Submitted on Aug 8, 2012
11 Comments
Thanks Harrison!
Actually he is still around - he's now living in a box in my office! I couldn't bear to see him just lying there on the deck. I'm not sure my husband is going to react when he finds out I'm bringing in dead moths!
I know the feeling! I always hate to see injured bugs, it makes me tear up. Poor little Cicadas that I find with their wings all beaten up.. It makes me depressed that I can't help them in any way.
Great find! I'm glad to know he was cared about while he was around. :D
IT'S HARD TO THINK ABOUT SUCH A SHORT LIFE. HE'S MORE FAMOUS THAN HE KNOWS!
Thank you Ann, Dan, & Claire!
He returned last night, this time hanging out on our deck & I took a few more pics which I have added here. When I checked this morning I found that sadly his short life was over. I feel strangely emotional about it!
What a guy!
Rough shape but still an awesome find! He looks huge!
Though a bit 'mangled' this is such a magnificent moth!
Thanks Claire! He was still on the screen 10 minutes ago so I went out in the hopes of getting more photos in better light. Clearly he had warmed up a bit because he took flight when I tried to get a head-on macro shot. Unfortunately he flew a little to close to the hummingbird feeder & was attacked by one of the hummers. He survived this encounter too & flew rather erratically in the direction of the woods. He seems to be a real survivor!
Neat...now I have hope for a new species as there are tons of Tulip trees around. Thanks
Thanks Laura! He's still on the screen - I'm trying to resist the urge to go & get more pics!
Wow, he looks like he faced a few birds and won! What a beautiful moth, very impressive specimen. Nicely captured, Karen!