The Beautiful Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth about ten times the number of species of butterfly), with thousands of species yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are crepuscular and diurnal species.



"Moths are about as harmless as a creature can get," explains John Himmelman, cofounder of the Connecticut Butterfly Association. "They have no biting mouth parts, and some adults, such as the well-known luna moth, don't eat at all. They don't carry rabies or any other diseases, they don't sting . In fact, most people don't realize that butterflies are actually day-flying moths."
Everyone admires butterflies, but few stop to admire the beauty and variety of moths. 'Beauty?' you may say, skeptically. Some think of the moth as merely a lackluster cousin of the beautiful butterfly. In fact many hardly thought of moths except when putting away my winter clothes and placing mothballs around them in an attempt to repel the clothes moth. But as adults, moths do not eat fabric at all—they only do so while in the larval stage as caterpillars.


Among the species of moth is the cecropia, or robin moth, one of the largest moths in North America It is a member of the Saturniidae family, or giant silk moths. Females with a wingspan of 160 mm or more have been documented. It is found as far west as the Rocky Mountains and north into the maritime provinces of Canada. The Larvae of these moths are most commonly found on Maple trees, but they have been known to feed on Wild Cherry and Birch trees among many others.and has a life cycle of one year. Because the adult moths do not have mouth parts they are unable to eat. As a result, the lifespan for an adult Cecropia moth is generally only 7 to 10 days in the wild, perhaps a little longer or shorter, depending on how much movement the moth makes. For instance, if temperatures are cooler, the moth may remain mostly inactive, which will increase its lifespan. In captivity, this lifespan can be extended to about a month by placing the moth in the fridge directly after it hatches and its wings are dry. [Those who rear the moths may find this necessary to synchronize mating.


The scales on a moth's wings are extremely delicate, you should never pick it up by its wings. However, if you place your outstretched hand in front of a moth, it may walk onto your finger. When I tried this, the lovely creature rewarded me by resting on my middle finger.