Mothra

Remember all those sci-fi films with Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra ? You know the ones! We've all seen them (and yes, I have them on DVD - they're some of my favs!), those Japanese Cult Classics.

Well, we have our own versions of Mothra here in the WildWoods. And now is the time of year that they begin to emerge.
The moth below was spotted under our breezeway. It is a Tersa Sphinx Moth.


The wingspan of this moth is 2 3/8" to 3 1/8". The catepillar host plants are Smooth Buttonplant, starclusters, Borreria, Catalpa, and Manettia species. Its range is south Massachusetts to south Florida; west to Nebraska, New Mexico, and southern Arizona; south through Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America to Argentina.


And this lovely creature is a Luna Moth.


Its wingspan is 3" to 4". It is quite common with its range being Nova Scotia west to Saskatchewan and eastern North Dakota; south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas.


The catepillar host plants are a variety of trees including white birch, persimmon, sweet gum, hickories, walnuts, and sumacs. The interesting thing about these moths is that the adult does not feed. There will be 1 to 4 generations produced each season, depending on location.

And it won't be long before the butterflies will be in adundance. I'll keep you posted.