Polyphemous moths are giant silk moths that are native to our area. The caterpillars (see below) feed on a variety of tree leaves, like oak, maple, birch, and sycamore. Then they wrap themselves in a leaf and spin a cocoon inside, which is where they stay until they emerge. After emerging, the moths mate and the female lays eggs. The moths do not have mouths and do not eat. They only live about a week to ten days.
I believe our visitor was a male because males have thicker antenna so as to detect a chemical put out by the females. This is an ADAPTATION that females use to be found by a mate.
The four eye spots are also an ADAPTATION to scare away predators. The eye spots are transparent! This moth gets its name from the Greek myth of Cyclops Polyphemus, the monster with the one eye. Polypheous moth are usually nocturnal, so I'm not sure why it was flying around the schoolyard in broad daylight today!
3 comments:
That moth looks cool. Awesome picture!
Hi Tasfiya - Thank you for all the nice comments. Yes, this moth was very, very cool indeed! It was so large and colorful. Most people would have thought it was a butterfly. Hopefully we'll get some interesting creatures in the school garden this year.
That moth is a beauty.You were very lucky to snap this picture Ms. Seitz!I agree with Tasfiya.Bye!
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