However, the guy above looks exactly like the guy that was crawling on my L.L. Bean's boat bag that I had at Park Day last year sometime in August. We were all getting ready to leave and there he was, slowly plodding, scooting, undulating along up the green stripe looking for a place to call home.
We did bring him home, my friend M. told me what she thought it was and I looked up what they eat and what their habits are. I took some maple leaves and stuffed them and it inside a bug hut and waited to see what would happen.
He/she wrapped itself up in the leaves and made a silky tan spun cocoon. This was at the end of August in 2007. Here we are in June of 2008 10 months later and I wondered if it would ever come out. We had it kicking around on our back porch all through the changes of seasons. They overwinter in a cocoon wrapped up in leaves on branches, and so there was no reason that it wouldn't come out, and yet it is still so amazing when it happens. And, it did.
Here is our polyphemus moth after it emerged from the cocoon just a couple of nights ago.
I had to tilt it towards the circular opening and gently shake it to get it out and then it flew up and away over our house. Beautiful and amazing.
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4 comments:
Gorgeous moth. They are some of my favorites.
Yes, it was stunning. The caterpillar is unbelievable too--so big and plump and almost neon-green. It looked like one of my kids' rubber or plastic bugs that they have scattered all over the house.
My kids are both fearless when it comes to bugs and love to see interesting ones and to try and catch them, or feed them, or hold them. Thank God a lot of them have exoskeletons...
Beautiful photo!
Simply gorgeous!
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