"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
Polyphemus Moth
Antheraea polyphemus fam. Saturniidae (Hodges#7757)
Host plant: Found on red oak species (Quercus sp.)
Dates found: 30 August, 2025
Locations found: Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: While the caterpillars are polyphagous, feeding on a variety of woody species, adults of this moth do not feed.
Pink-striped Oakworm Moth
Anisota virginiensis fam. Saturniidae (Hodges#7723)
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 19, Sep, 2025
Location found: Don Robinson State Park, Jefferson County, MO
Notes: Photos of an early instar larvae.
Hickory Horned Devil
Citheronia regalis fam. Saturniidae (Hodges#7706)
Host plant(s): Found on black walnut (Juglans nigra)
Date(s) and location(s): 07 Sep, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Another longtime target species that I was able to find this year, this penultimate instar of this fantastic creature was located on the single reachable branch of a large black walnut. The adults of this species are known as royal walnut moths and regal moths.
Imperial Moth
Eacles imperialis fam. Saturniidae (Hodges#7704)
Host plant(s): Found on sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Date(s) and location(s): 16 Aug, 2025 – Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO; 25 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: A wide-ranging species distributed across the Americas from Argentina to Canada.
Promethea Silkmoth
Callosamia promethea fam. Saturniidae (Hodges#7764)
Host plant: Found on buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Date found: Sep, 2025
Location found: St. Louis County, MO
Notes: One of my notable “finds” of the season for me. This was my first look and photographs of this magnificent silkmoth species. Many thanks to Harit Kaur Bal who originally found a group of these caterpillars and to Chris Brown for inviting me over to photograph a couple of these beasts that he collected for rearing.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 