Tag Archives: Antheraea polyphemus

The Thrill of the Hunt: Finding Moth Cocoons in the Wild

November 16, 2025 David Albaugh 5 Comments

For anyone who raises butterflies and moths, having your caterpillars form pupae is a huge undertaking. You spend weeks feeding these hungry mouths, and though you may be doing so in protected environments, the risk of failure remains. Stink bugs, yellow jackets, skunks, and raccoons are always hungry for your babies, and at times, no matter how hard you try, they still seem to find what you are working so hard to protect. There is an excitement that is unequaled when your caterpillars finally form their chrysalis or cocoon. With all of these odds against you in captivity, what chance do they have in the wild?

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Saturniidae

The Enchanting Polyphemus Moth: A Giant Silkmoth with Windowed Wings

May 22, 2025 David Albaugh Leave a comment

Floating through the twilight of deciduous woodlands across North America is the breathtaking Polyphemus moth, scientifically known as Antheraea polyphemus. This magnificent giant silkmoth, named after the cyclops Polyphemus from Greek mythology due to the striking eyespot on each of its hindwings, captivates observers with its large size, delicate coloration, and the ethereal transparency of its wing windows.

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Butterfly Gardening, Raising butterflies, Rearing moths, Saturniidae, Uncategorized

LARVAL FOODPLANTS OF SATURNIID MOTHS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

May 8, 2025 David Albaugh 3 Comments

Raising Lepidoptera has been a hobby that I have enjoyed ever since I was a kid. Though raising butterflies has always been fun, it is raising the giant silkmoths, family Saturniidae, that has been my favorite aspect of rearing. Thankfully I live in an area that includes a great representation of these amazing moths, even though their wild populations do seem to be dwindling with each passing year. What I present to you is a list of the most commonly used caterpillar foodplants for these moths representing nine species. This list is in no way meant to be complete and only through experimentation can new plants be added to this ever-growing list.

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Saturniidae

When It Comes to Giant Silk Moths, What Can You Find in Rhode Island?

June 2, 2024 David Albaugh 4 Comments

When it comes to moths, there are none as spectacular as the giant silk moths, from the family Saturniidae. Despite Rhode Island being such a small state, we actually have five species common to this area. How many have you seen?

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Backyard Beauty, Saturniidae

CASE STUDY: Saturniidae Moth Populations in Richmond, Rhode Island Part 3

June 27, 2021 David Albaugh 3 Comments

This is going to be a quick entry in this case study. As of this writing on June 27, 2021, all but a few cocoons have hatched. I have a small assortment still of cecropia, polyphemus and luna. Initially I felt that this case study was a failure about after giving it some thought, I realized that I know a lot more now than I did at the start, which should help tremendously going into 2022.

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Saturniidae

CASE STUDY: Saturniidae Moth Populations in Richmond, Rhode Island Part 2

May 29, 2021 David Albaugh Leave a comment

Cocoons and pupae I was able to obtain prior to this study were Actias luna, Hyalophora cecropia, Antheraea polyphemus, Samia cynthia and Citheronia regalis. On the last two species, I did not have high hopes of drawing in males attracted to hatched gravid females, but thought that perhaps, living so close to Connecticut, that I may be pleasantly surprised.