Found IO Moth cats!
flutterby64
12 years ago
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KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agoRelated Discussions
IO moth
Comments (1)Congrats, congrats! Your male io moth is gorgeous - I just love 'em! It's good that you're protecting your giant swallowtail cats - they're a favorite of various predators. And you'll be seeing those beautiful adult giant swallowtails soon! Sherry...See MoreRegal Moth Caterpillars and Possible Viceroy Cats
Comments (13)The 'stick ups' are called scoli. I've never read anything that gives a reason for them being there, so I assume it's just to make the caterpillar appear ferocious so as to scare away predators. They're harmless to people, don't sting, and I've seen many pictures of people holding the late instar caterpillars in their hands, kids included. Each instar of this species is different from the others. The scoli are much taller in relation to overall body size in the early instars than they are in the later instars. In the later instars, their body gets thick, and the scoli point backward. There are many pictures of them on the internet, but I'll be posting pictures of each instar, since they're so unique. The adults are beautiful. Since they only have one flight per year, I won't see the adult moth until next year. I'll have to provide these with a bucket of leaves or paper towels for them to burrow into when they're ready to make their pupa. I'll keep them on the porch unless we have an extremely cold night (like the one last January) and then I'll bring them into my unheated guest room. I'm getting ahead of myself here, though. They're not the easiest ones to raise, so I don't want to jinx things by talking about their pupae just yet! :) Sherry...See MoreIO moth question and a funny photo
Comments (13)Jeanne; I was about to correct you and tell you it was a Promethea but apparently "spicebush moth" is another name, LOL. I am always learning something new. We had a ton of those this year. It is their year. When the females were out in the house, we routinely had males beating themselves to get in. My neighbors asked about one on their screen porch. Again, you have a female there. The males are very dark. It has been suggested that they mimic the pipevine swallowtails. I thought being out at night, this would have been silly, but they are out during the day! The males seem to look for their mates late afternoon and fly quite like a butterfly. The IOs have not eclosed yet. Should be soon I would think. We need to trade. I have the spicebushes but not the butterfly! Really though, I need to plant some more to attract and support any. In the early fall, look for the red berries and you should find the plant. The leaves and berries when crushed smell spicy. You seem to have a wonderful yard/area to support all those great critters. Cheers, Elisabeth...See MoreFound a Pandous Sphinx Moth Cat
Comments (3)Cathy, just dropped in here for the 1st time in a long time. CONGRATULATIONS! You may have seen my message that I found one on my Virginia Creeper. Is it a large cat or small cat? You can put some potting soil in the bottom of a container (I use the big plastic ones I get pretzels in from Sam's). Make sure you poke some holes in and around the sides of it. Use about 4-5" at least of soil. Or, you can just shred some paper towels. If it is still eating, put some grape or virginia creeper foliage in with it (I assume you found it on one of these vines cuz that's what it eats). When it has completed this cycle (caterpillar stage), it will burrow into the paper towels or soil to begin to form its pupae/cocoon. This sometimes can take a couple days - they are much slower that butterfly cats. I usually kinda gently shake the container to move soil or pt's around to see how its doing. Once the cocoon is fully formed you can then handle it and remove it from the soil or not. Don't be surprised when it wiggles! LOL! Leave the container outside on your porch/garage, somewhere that is cool - it will winter over probably this late in the year. Put a few skewers or sticks in the cage so it will have something to climb on next spring when it emerges to dry its wings. Have fun! Susan...See Moretomatoworm59
12 years agoflutterby64
12 years agotomatoworm59
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agotomatoworm59
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agotomatoworm59
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agoflutterby64
12 years agotomatoworm59
12 years agotomatoworm59
12 years agofighting8r
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agofighting8r
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
11 years ago
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