All Hail the Imperial Moth Caterpillars

Imperial moth caterpillar.  J. Schaeffer

The newest addition to the caterpillar zoo at the Willow Grove Nature Education Center are four caterpillars of the Imperial Moth.  Their size and horns and hairs make them unusual critters, indeed.  We're feeding them Eastern White Pine, but in the wild they also eat a variety of leaves including maple, oak, sassafras and sweetgum.  Soon, they will burrow underground and pupate, emerging next spring as very large (5"), yellow and purple moths worthy of their regal name.           

Imperial moth. Will Cook

                                                      

Like the luna moths, imperial moths belong to the giant silk moth family, the Saturnids.  Many entomologists agree that we don't see as many of these large moths as we did a generation ago when they were a common sight around street lights at night.   

Thanks Tim and Neil at the Natural History Society of Maryland for entrusting the caterpillars to us and allowing us to show them off.