Saturday, March 06, 2010

Arkansas Moth: Rosy Maple (Dryocampa rubicunda)

Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda)
(Photo:  Marvin Smith on 5/30/09)


Rosy Maple Moth
(Dryocampa rubicunda)

Were there a prize given for the most widespread, numerous and eye-catching moth, the Rosy Maple would probably win. Bob Patterson on MPG says this species has been the number one generator of ID requests, from southeastern Canada to Florida.

Hodges Number: 7715

Other common names: Green-striped Mapleworm (caterpillar)

Range: Eastern North America, including most of Florida.

Habitat: Deciduous forests.

Season: May-August in north (one brood), April-September in south (2-3 broods).

Food: Adults do not feed. Hostplants for larvae are maples, Acer, or oaks, Quercus.

Life cycle: Eggs are laid in clusters of 10-30 on foliage. Early instars are gregarious. Overwinters as pupa, below ground. Adults come to lights readily.

Caterpillars: Occasionally, D. rubicunda larvae can become serious defoliators. The caterpillar is usually most important as a pest on shade and ornamental landscape maples. Damage from loss of foliage is largely aesthetic; trees usually survive and recover, but some loss in growth and dieback in the crown may occur. (Please see Auburn University site for more information and photos.)

Species information from BugGuide.

Other links:
Moths of North America
MIACY


Please visit Xenogere for the latest edition of The Moth and Me Blog Carnival, and check out Jason's fantastic images of a wingless female moth.


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16 comments:

Andree said...

I have photographed this one. I thought it was dead but it "came back to life." They are gorgeous. I've only seen the one and hope to find more!

jason said...

Gorgeous! I wish they made it this far west. What a treat that would be.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

We do have these pretty little moths around here. They always suprise me to see them sitting in the lawn or whereever I see them. Those colors are so unusual.

Q said...

It is a pretty one too.
I saw my first honey bee of the season...Spring is waking up!
It seems as if it has been an extra cold and wet Winter this year.
Sherry

Deb said...

Wow. Looks like a little princess showgirl. Wow.

Lana Gramlich said...

Wow...so amazing! Reminds me of salt water taffy at Coney Island.

Christine said...

It looks like it belongs in an easter basket. Beautiful colors!

Garden Lily said...

Beautiful - thanks for sharing.

abb said...

If you didn't just show me a photo and tell me that moth was real, I'd swear it was made up! Never ever seen one!

KaHolly said...

Okay, so this is the prettiest moth I've ever seen!

Anonymous said...

I love rosy maples! such a well named moth. Beautiful image Marvin :)

laughingwolf said...

gypsy rose lee of the moth world! ;) lol

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

The only word for this is 'spectacular'!! What an interesting combination of colors.

Rambling Woods said...

What a beautiful moth that is...

Anonymous said...

Wow! I've never seen such a pastel-ly colored moth. This one reminds me of cotton candy. I will keep my eye out for this one the next time I head to the Ozarks. (I vacationed there last year - it was great!)

Anonymous said...

That color combination is just awesome and beautiful!