Unusual 'Moths/Millers'

[Dan/Panther]

This year we've had some rather unusual Moths flying around.
Maybe some of the ancient cave drawing that some think are alien spacecraft are really just moths that bugged cavemen around the campfire.
They look like camo military aircraft.
D/P

[Dennis Markham]

Great photos Dan.  What's its name?

[Dan/Panther]

Mothias Camoflagious....
I forgot to ask his regular name.
D/P

[HobieSport]

They look like camo military aircraft.
D/P

Where do they hide their missiles?

Moths bring back a childhood memory on the Monterey Bay in California.  Mom and Dad were quick to point out all kinds of plants and wildlife as we grew up.  We had the amazing huge migrations of the Monarch Butterflies that would cover the Eucalyptus trees in Santa Cruz.

My favorite was the huge Cecropia moth.  We found a big ugly caterpillar on a ceanothus bush.  It was love at first sight.  We brought it home and it lived in our terrarium, and we fed it on tender ceanothus leaves. It got even bigger and more colorful and ugly.  Cool!  Then it wove a big cocoon and I waited and waited.  Finally this HUGE moth emerged and we took it back to it's native bush and let it go.  Ah...Great Insect Memories!

[Ellen]

Those are beautiful moths and caterpillars.  Someone sent us a cecropia cocoon from Ohio (we lived in NJ then) and we let it hatch out.  We put it in a box against the window screen to see if any others would come to visit, but no.  So we let it go... I think it had a short and lonely life. 

Sometimes I see a Luna moth.

[HobieSport]

Looks like the green Luna moth frightens away predators by looking like a seasick Dumbo the elephant.  Brilliant!  Interesting color differences between the Cecropia from Ohio and the one from Calif..

[Dan/Panther]

We are more military oriented in California, than back east. That's why the Camo.


The Moth I posted reminds me of  Harrier Jump Jet.

We have another moth, I'll put up a photo, of if I can catch one. They are as big as Sparrows, no Kidding 6" windspan.
D/P

[McHeath]

That big caterpillar, that looks like what we used to call a "tomato worm".  Is that the same creature?

[HobieSport]

I've never heard of a "Tomato Worm".  If I'm not mistaken (it happens) its a Cecropia Moth caterpillar.  I thought it went well with Dan/Panthers "Harrier Jump Jet Moth".  Maybe part of the same arsenal of super weapons in our secret, small yet effective Mothian Army.

[Ellen]

I think this cecropia (obviously one of us has the wrong one) is very Googie!

The tomato hornworm is the Northeastern one.  There may be others.  The three white things at the right end are brachonid wasp eggs, about to hatch out and cause the demise of the worm and the survival of the tomatoes in the garden.  These caterpillars are very destructive to a garden.

[Dan/Panther]

Ellen;
Explain the white eggs. When they hatch they kill the caterpillar, or the mere act of hatching kills it ?
What are the red spots on the upper photo?
Dan

[Ellen]

Ellen;
Explain the white eggs.

Ew.  You really want to know?

http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/vegpest/hornworm.htm: ; "Tomato hornworm larvae are also parasitized by a number of insects. One of the most common is a small braconid wasp, Cotesia congregatus. Larvae that hatch from wasp eggs laid on the hornworm feed on the inside of the hornworm until the wasp is ready to pupate. The cocoons appear as white projections protruding from the hornworm's body (see photo, left) [ew.  look it up yourself.  this is a family show]. If such projections are observed, the hornworms should be left in the garden to conserve the beneficial parasitoids. The wasps will kill the hornworms when they emerge from the cocoons and will seek out other hornworms to parasitize. "

The red projections, and the blue and yellow ones, are decorations.  There are eyes and mouth in there somewhere.  YouTube has time-lapse movies of hatching moths and butterflies.

NO!  I AM WRONG!  The three white things are feet.  That's the head-end of the Tomato Hornworm.  It is eating a tomato leaf.  For braconid wasp pictures, you have to go elsewhere entirely.

[AET]

I'm surprised that thing stayed on your finger while you took those pics!

[Dan/Panther]

I promised as soon as the firsdt LARGE moth came out this spring I would post photos.
Here they are. This is the first, not necessarily the largest...
D/P

[Ellen]

Cecropia again.  Male, because of the big, feathery antennae (for starters).  If you image-google "large moth" you will find a lot of very beautiful ones.