Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Imperial Moth - Eacles imperialis

Eacles imperialis - Imperial Moth
Quinn Cashell, a 4-H Summer Program Assistant noticed this beautiful moth laying eggs on the Gass House this afternoon.  Linda Secrist, and Don Knode, the Master Gardener on duty at the Hotline identified it as an Imperial Moth, or Eacles imperialis.  Jenn Wetzel came out and took these close up pictures.

Eacles imperialis - Imperial Moth
Imperial Moths belong to the family Saturniidae, that include the Polyphemus Moth, and the Hickory Horned Devil that we've noticed elsewhere on the blog.


Egg Laying Closeup - Eacles imperialis - Imperial Moth
The larval host plants for this moth are trees like Bald Cypress, basswood, birch, cedar, elm, hickory, Honeylocust, maple, oak, pine, Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), sycamore, and walnut.  They are seldom present in sufficient numbers to cause serious damage.

The chance of these eggs hatching and finding a host species for food are not high - poor choice for an egg laying site, mommy moth.

Eacles imperialis - Imperial Moth


Come learn more about gardening for wildlife, including moths and butterflies and their larval host plants at the Saturday, August 4th workshop,
 "Butterflies in Your Backyard" from 9:30-11:30 where Master Gardeners Kathy Engle and Laurie Collins will show participants how to design and maintain a butterfly garden.

Eacles imperialis - Imperial Moth

This class will discuss basic design principles and important requirements for a successful butterfly garden. Focus will be on different butterflies found in our area and proper plant selection for each type. Information on various conservation programs to certify local gardens will also be discussed.

3 comments:

  1. I JUST found one of these beauties on the side of the facility where I work! And she is laying eggs NOW!!!

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  2. I forgot to mention that I live in East Tennessee! :-)

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  3. Can she and her eggs be moved to a safer location, or is it best to just leave her alone?

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