Found this butterfly on the driveway and rescued it from my chickens. Kept it in the house last night in a butterfly cage. I thought maybe it was still "changing". It became very active fluttering it's wings during the night. This morning I put it on this plate by the birdfeeder to take it's picture then put it on the lilac bush where it's been hanging all day.
Can you please tell me what it is?
Brenda
That's beautiful! It's a Cecropia moth
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3281&chosen_state=26*Michigan
Maggie
What kind of dish is that? Is that jelly in the dish?
Thanks,
Maggie
Thanks so much for the ID.
The "dish" is the bottom of a flower pot that I turned into a feeder for orioles. THat's grape jelly in there.
I suppose since this is a moth it will be more active at night while we're sleeping. I had no idea a moth could be so big. Interesting!!
I just looked at your link. What does it mean when it says the adult doesn't eat? How can they live without eating?
We have plenty of fruit trees and 28 acres of woods so I'm not surprised it finds some kind of host plant here. I thought it was a butterfly. :)
The center cup of the dish intrigues me. I've never seen one like that.
Saturniidae do not eat in the adult stage. Their job is to breed. I have raised Luna Moth cats which are also gorgeous. They eat a lot in the cat staqe! They are fun to raise because they are durable (not easily squishable) & easy to handle.One can even order them online.
Maggie
Loon.....
A lot of the moths of that type don't eat because they don't have mouth parts. They mate, lay eggs and die.
Mate, lay eggs and die? So, what is their purpose in the environment? They don't pollinate anything right? Do they eat a lot of insects when they are catapillars?
This morning she's gone. I hope she found herself a mate. It was fun having her here while it lasted.
As far as the dish I made to feed the orioles.............that center part is a circle with just a slight depression in it. It's not a deep cup. It's plastic and is sold to go under a flower pot to water from or catch the water when you give your plants a drink. We drilled holes in it and used a hanging basket wire on it to hang it with. Works great and the orioles love grape jelly. We hang it up next to the hummingbird feeders. Our hummers arrived right on time on May 15th.
Thanks Loon. The dis looked like terracotta in the pic but not any that I'd ever seen. I don't know the answer to your question but it's a great one. I sent a note to Bill Oehlke, the Saturniidae guy, and asked him. He's usually quite good about answering e-mail. I'll let you know when I have a response. Or maybe someone here knows.
Maggie
They may just be a part of the food chain for birds, I haven't ever heard of any beneficial purpose other than their beauty.
Loon,
When I emailed Bill, he said the same- bird food... or a delightful joke of the Creator.
Maggie
Thanks for asking for me. I think I may leave that part out of my explanation to my little granddaughter.
The Creator part doesn't sound too bad. I'd never considered that question before.
Maggie
