After finding an Imperial Moth back in July, I finally have a complete series of photos showing the progression of the offspring from egg to chrysalis.
The above moth laid over 100 eggs over a 2 day period.
The caterpillars hatched about 2 weeks later.
The caterpillars fed on Sycamore or Maple leaves for 6 weeks
They grew to 5" long.
The fifth skin shedding revealed the pupa or chrysalis
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| Discarded skin and resultant chrysalis |
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| Sarcophagus-like chrysalis |
The moth will overwinter in the chrysalis and emerge early in the summer to start a new generation.
Of the ten eggs that I kept, only six hatched, two caterpillars died during the middle stages and one died in the pupation process, leaving three surviving chrysalises.
Thanks for these wonderful Imperial Moth life cycle photos! I am into moths and was recently given a large Imperial Moth caterpillar. I put it in a container with leaves and dirt and thought it had died. A few days later I was thrilled to see it had pupated. Now if I can overwinter it to adulthood! Cheers, -Anne
ReplyDeleteFour days after I wrote this post, I started a new job and had to relocate across the state. Before I moved I gave my pupas to a capable moth expert but have no idea if they emerged successfully.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply, Mark. We shall see what happens with our pupa next spring. He's definitely alive as it wiggles when touched. -Anne
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