Ethel’s Moth

Yesterday morning, very early, I received a phone call on my cell phone. I did not hear the phone, but my husband did. By the time I picked up the person had disconnected. The phone told me that the call was from my neighbor Ethel. So, I got on the house phone and called her.  When I reached Ethel she told me that the moth was back. My radar was in full operation at this point as I knew exactly what she was referring to! So here is what I want to share with you all thanks to Ethel!

We have a moth here in the Sierra Foothills that is pretty spectacular. It is the Ceanothus Silk Moth. Be sure to click on each photo so that you can really see the detail on the wings, and body. It is truly amazing!

Female Ceanothus Silk Moth

Last year, about this same time, this same thing occurred with a female located on the outside of Dale and Ethel’s garage.

Interested in this beautiful creature of our area, I did some research. This moth, known as Hyalophora euryalus, is one of the largest moths found in the world.

The moth of Dale and Ethel’s garage is nearing the end of its life cycle.  It begins with a female laying eggs in the months of June to August.  Once the eggs hatch, they feed on the wild lilacs (now blooming) which are a native to this area. They also feed on the Madrone (CA State tree), the buckbrush, and the manzanita. The larvae go through a number of phases in their young life before they reach full size as a huge moss green caterpillar. As the weather cools down in the fall, they then spin their cocoons.  These resemble a flask shaped object that is attached to a branch of a shrub or a tree. During the winter months they transform inside their little condo units, until they are ready to present themselves to the world in the spring. And when they do, they are just glorious as you have seen above. Let’s take a close look at the edges of the wing of this beauty.

A close up of the wings

Maybe Nike got their symbol from her wing?  What is really interesting is that once a female emerges from her cocoon, her only ambition in life is to mate and lay eggs. Last year, Ethel and Dale had another of these moths in about the same place on their garage. This is a female.

She poses for me!

By contrast the male’s antennae are twice as thick if not more. To give you a perspective on her size, here is a photo including my finger.

Perspective on its size

And, here she is opening her wings for me.

She opens her wings for me

OK – so now look closely. Do you see another face in nature?

If what happened last year, happens again this year, she will sit there and wait on Dale and Ethel’s garage until the male shows up. I believe that this took about a week or more. The basic objective of this moth, like any other creature on this planet, is continuation of the species. From the time the female emerges from her cocoon, she starts to emit a pheromone to attract a male suitor. While we cannot smell her, some male in the area certainly will. She will sit where she is at until he finds her.  In this stage of her life, food is no longer a necessity.  Their mouths actually atrophy while in the cocoon and are no longer usable. Once they mate, they each kick back, smoke a cigarette, and gaze into each others eye lovingly!  OK – just kidding!  What actually happens is that he dies, and once her eggs are laid, she dies as well, passing on their unique DNA to the future generations!

Here is a final look at this magnificent moth!

One final close up

Be sure to check back as I am hoping to catch this beauty, and her wonderous mate doing the deed!