A friend took this picture last night. I’m told the cat was going absolute bonkers, probably thinking they were under attack by something from outer space… or at least the sky. I’m hoping their cat calmed down.
I’ve long been a fan of these things. They aren’t overly common, but they show up from time to time. Thing is, I’ve never been able to figure out exactly what it is.
Is it a Polyphemus, or a Cecrophia? Cecrophia are slightly larger and seem to have more of that orange body colour. Polyphemus are slightly smaller and more of a tan colour.
By slightly smaller, I mean the Polyphemus usually runs about four inches across, where a Cecrophia can hit closer to seven inches or better in some cases.
In any case, they’re pretty big, and also rather attractive for a moth. You might think they would be hard to miss, but I have walked past them sitting on a tree before realizing I had just seen a really big moth sitting on a tree. Hard to believe something that size can blend in fairly well, but they can.
Every so often though, you see a few of them around. Since they are classified as giant silk moths, it would be really nice if they could maybe make me a few shirts, maybe even a new pair of sheets, but that is probably asking a bit much.
In any case, you might see a few around this year. And they are pretty spectacular.
