☆ Scroll to the bottom of the blog for full informational ☆
While Sky Fishing on my porch on June 2nd I collect a male and female pair of Tulip-Tree Silkmoths. I have an outdoor "moth house" I keep my critters in for observations, approximately 4x2x3ft screened in and with a pitched tin roof. I would soon raise my Luna moths here and otherwise use it for when I find a cool bug on the property so I can bring them back for me to observe and gawk gleefully, in their own space allowing for them to remain undisturbed and resting in safety.
After the night was over and the day became new, I back went out to check on the Tulips and reminded myself why these moths caught my eye to begin with. Aside from their stunning sexual dimorphism, an expression of differing sexes of the same species demonstrating differing morphological characteristics usually observable as differnces in color, sizes or patterns. With this bug is it obvious and impressive, the males a deep brown, sometimes black coloring, the females a brilliant copperish orange; truly stunning when face to face. In the sunlight she is a firey red with a golden rust. [7/18/24]
(These specimens were carefully collected and released after handling)
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But that was only my second thought as I gently picked up this female I had held captive for the night. For she was barely complete.
Nearly completely tethered, she was something I had never seen the likes of before, I could hardly understand how she could even fly! But she entranced me through this miracle and I just couldn't let her go. I figured she was end of life and nearly ready to pass on, so in my moth house she went, only after I had collected her favorite, I again assumed, leaves and branches of her host, the Tulip Poplar. I left her and released the male, preparing myself for the day I walk by and see this beautiful beast no longer moving, ready for collection and pinning. Then, something catches my eye.
She lays 4 clutches of eggs on 6/3 and 6/4, ranging in color to a true eggshell white to a bit more yellow but still somehow white color. Not even knowing she was mated, I thought, surely now she is exhausted enough to not last more than a day. But every time I pass the moth house she is full of life and beating her wings at the screens, determined to make her escape. So, despite my selfish desire to know her forever, I let her go and watch her fly passionately into the pink hues of the late evening, happily.
Eggs laid on 6/3 + 6/4 hatched seemingly exactly 2 weeks later on 6/17. Caterpillars are bright yellow green with a solid black head. They are teensy and plentiful, <1/2cm if I had to guess. I present them with a Tulip leaf to eat but they prefer their egg for now.
(6/21, 6/25, 6/25, 6/27)
Second Instar ✧ 6/21, Day 5, 15 ✧ I count 15 and can now confirm they are eating as evidenced by lil monch marks in the leaves (see Photo 1). Cats are still bright yellow green in color with diminishing solid black markings on their head, lessening day by day. They are beginning to develop a distinguished shape and texture, now with hairs observable on their newly noticeable segments. 10 yellow segments between green.
6/25, Day 9, 14 ✧ Cats appear to now be more yellow than green in coloring with new stripes of black and white. Their head has lost its solid black helmet and they instead have little black and white faces (see Photo 2). Some are farther in their instars and have strong yellow stripes with black border between an almost baby blue interior coloring. They have two symmetrical spinules down their back yellow in color.
6/27, Day 11, 7 ✧ Cats are losing their yellow and appear to be mostly white. Half have been lost, count now at 7.
(7/1, 7/2, 7/4, 7/4)
7/1, Day 15, 5 ✧ Shape, color and characteristics are completely different! Now the cats are a gorgeous light robin egg blue with black dots (spiracle) and an amazing orange and yellow tentacles, six on the head, one on the rear. The body is smooth and no longer has hairs and segments are still pronounced but lessinging in definition. As I look at these photos I'm realizing the head's spiracles manifest in different color combinations on each cat; Photo 1 + 2 shows four orange one yellow, Photo 3 shows a combination of all orange tentacles on two, all yellow tentacles on three others. How interesting! I wonder if this has to do with sexual dimorphism.
7/2-7/10, Day 16-26, 4 ✧ Feedings and cleanings are continued as usual. Form does not change as rapidly, shape becomes more round and less pronounced. Color is fading and spots continue to lessen. One caterpillar passes, number now to 4.
7/21, Day 37, 1 ✧ I came back from a weekend camping trip and 3 out of 4 cats hadn't made it. That leaves just one, who know I will become intrinsically attached to. Sex is unknown so we will call them Button. Button is nearly two inches in resting position and resting a lot. I am checking on Button every few hours due to pure anxiety. Button has a very pale green hue with two dots per segment on top view, one on each side. There is now a noticeable yellow stripe down the side of their body that seems to be brighter day by day. Button now resides alone in their tupperware on my desk. I believe Button should pupate any day now due to their lethragy and lack of appetite.
7/25, Day 41, 1 ✧ Button is still with us and hasn't seemed very active these past few days. I check on them everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Today I changed their leaves and inspected their behavior: lethargic, condensed body, not much movement. According to the figure below Button should be beginning their silking process and soon be pupating. Come on buddy, you're making me nervous!
☆ Full Informational ☆
Callosamia angulifera, Tulip-Tree Silkmoth
Family: Saturniidae ✧ Subfamily: Saturniinae
Host Plant: Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Identification: Peripheral is lighter in color with typical Saturn "eye" markings. Sexual Dimorphism occurs: Males occurs as deep brown, sometimes nearly black in color; Females as red orange with highest concentration of color towards center.
Wing Span: 8 - 11 cm
Sexual Dimorphism: Yes
Region: North America ✧ Habitat: Deciduous woodlands ✧ Range: Massachusetts east through central New York, southern Ontario, and southern Michigan to central Illinois; south to the Florida panhandle and Mississippi.
Conservation Status: Currently non-threatened
Generations: One generation per year from June to August in North and two generations from March to April and again in August in South.
I've been using the below figure (via butterfliesandmoths.org) to track Button's growth
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