Tulip-tree Silkmoth (Callosamia angulifera)
Insect art to promote insect growth and development.
The Tulip-tree Silkmoth, a member of the Giant Silkworm family (Saturniidae), is found in the woodlands and forests of eastern North America. Silkworm moths exist solely to mate. Having no mouths, they neither eat nor drink and live for only a week. They are nocturnal, with distant males responding to the female’s pheromones, and mate between dusk and midnight. At dusk the following evening the female lays eggs, in rows of 4-10, on the leaves of the tulip tree. The eggs hatch in a week with young caterpillars feeding in groups. Older caterpillars do not eat the main vein of the leaf and are solitary creatures. In nature the caterpillar feeds only on the tulip tree, also called the yellow poplar, (Liriodendron tulipifera); its range matches that of the tree, shown here. The cocoon, in a curled tulip tree leaf, is not attached beyond the petiole and falls to the ground where it overwinters.
Artist: Elise Ross
E-mail address: elisejr@optonline.net
I was walking at dusk along a river trail lined with tulip trees. I was blessed to witness the mating ritual of these moths. It was an amazing moment!
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