tulip-tree silkmoth & promethea Moth
This orange beauty is a female Tulip-tree Silkmoth, one of our large silkmoth species.
This is a male Tulip-tree Silkmoth. Males are darker than the females. They have a nice chocolate brown color. Found at my black lights on June 7, 2024.
Another view of the Promethea Moth (same individual as above). Promethea Moths tend to be more reddish in color and smaller in size than Tulip-tree Silkmoths. Male Promethea Moths are very dark brown and do not usually come to lights.
This is a female Promethea Moth, the only one I have ever found. She came to my black lights on May 2, 2024. Note that the white spots on the upper wings are smaller and thinner than the white bars on the hindwings. This is one of the more reliable ways to tell the two species apart. Promethea Moths usually have the upper spots on their forewings either absent or reduced in size compared to the lower spots.
Another Tulip-tree Silkmoth, found at my lights on June 3, 2022. This individual had damaged wings, possibly from a bird attack.
Another female Tulip-tree Silkmoth. This species is similar to the less common Promethea Moth (below). Note that this Tulip-tree Silkmoth is more orange than the red-colored Promethea Moth below. Also, note that the white chevrons on its upper wings are larger than the white chevrons on the lower wings. This is usually the opposite in a Promethea Moth.
I have found a few Tulip-tree Silkmoths at my lights from May through August. I find more females than males.