CLOSED: Hickory Horned Devil

Our neighbor found this fellow looking for a place to overwinter. Intimidating but harmless. Will be a beautiful moth next year.

Another view.

Closeup of mouth.

Totally awesome creature!

Juanita

I just raised some from eggs to cocoon. They are really awesome. Can't wait until they eclose. Not sure if living in the deep south if they will eclose in a moth or so or next spring

here is link to thread if you want to see the process
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/746549/

This message was edited Aug 26, 2007 8:50 PM

I have always understood that they eclose in the spring, overwintering in their pupa case...

CeeJay the guy I bought the first cocoons from said he thought they would eclose in late August. Time is almost up. I hope they all wait until spring. I have been trapped at home all summer raising caterpillars. Can't leave for more than a day or 2 depending on how much they are eating at the time and must keep the cages clean

Good to know. Hadn't thought of that little drawback...Guess I'll leave caterpillar raising up to others.

Again, everything I have experienced (we get lots of these at Extension late summer - early fall from terrified people thinking they have discovered a mutant being) and read says that they overwinter in their pupa stage. And my caterpillar book says: "The larva matures in late summer and may be seen away from its food plant before pupation. The hardened, dark pupa overwinters in the soil, sometimes through two winters." I'll bet that two winters would be up north, not here.

Let me know if you experience otherwise, please.

Donna,

I just looked at your other thread about the cats. Now I have to ask a really ignorant question. Is there a purpose to raising these or other species? Are they endangered? Forgive a stupid question. I'm always trying to learn something. :0)

Juanita

Juanita that is not a stupid question. No not endangered yet but with the increasing use of pesticides it could very well happen. There is some concern at present for the Monarchs though. It is just something I wanted to do. I think there is a better survival rate for them too since they are kept safe from other insects/birds preying on them. How many have you ever seen in the wild??? I never have, but have once seen the Regal Moth it becomes. It is a new experience getting to see something so beautiful that most people normally don't get to see. I raised Luna , Antheraea Pernyi, Polyphemus, and the Regal moths this summer. The Antheraea eclosed(hatched) and I have 10 Luna and 12 Regal Moths cocoons. Polyphemus are cocooning now. I have 6 so far out of 12. Last summer I raised Monarchs, Queens, Black Swallowtails, Red-spotted Purples, Cloudless Sulphurs, Sleepy Oranges, Long-tailed Skippers, Silver-spotted Skippers, Giant Swallowtails, Spicebush Swallowtails Butterfly caterpillars

OH WOW! I would love to find one of these.

P

Thanks Donna for the explanation. Just a few months ago I saw a Regal Moth on a pillar at one of my clients. Didn't have my camera that morning, but she was laying eggs. I wish I had known what I was looking at then.

Thanks again for the education,
Juanita

We have these in Virginia where I used to live. I found one on the ground after a heavy storm in the fall. I placed it on a trellis in my butterfly garden and watched it build a cocoon. It did hatch in the early spring the following year. I never got to see the moth though because it hatched overnight and was gone in the morning.

We found one of these by our compost bin, climbing up a post. I'm glad I couls find out what it was. Now we wont kill it. Coolest lookin' ugly thing i've ever seen!

It is time to start looking for these. Let me know if you find any.

My son just found one of these this am cutting grass....it totally freaked out my son and daughter! We got right on the google and found this site....awesome! So glad we know he's harmless and will be a bautiful moth later. We will let him loose now....we live in NJ so hope to see more. Does anyone know what they eat?

it is hickory horned devil (Citheronia regalis).

We find them around our hickory and oak trees. Could be a source of their food?