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Imperial Moth

Eacles imperialis

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Eacles imperialis by melody
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Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Saturniidae
Genus
Eacles
Species
imperialis
Regional

This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:

Mc Calla, Alabama

Malvern, Arkansas

Beverly Hills, Florida

Bonita Springs, Florida

Melbourne, Florida

Palm Bay, Florida

Winter Garden, Florida

Winter Springs, Florida

Alpharetta, Georgia

Barnesville, Georgia

Cartersville, Georgia

Oxford, Georgia

Alexis, Illinois

Barrington, Illinois

Carpentersville, Illinois

Edwardsville, Illinois

Momence, Illinois

Spring Grove, Illinois

Ames, Iowa

Bettendorf, Iowa

Burlington, Iowa

Nichols, Iowa

Urbandale, Iowa

West Des Moines, Iowa

Benton, Kentucky

Chaplin, Kentucky

Greenville, Kentucky

Thibodaux, Louisiana

Fallston, Maryland

Pasadena, Maryland

Randallstown, Maryland

West Tisbury, Massachusetts

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Kansas City, Missouri

Lathrop, Missouri

Blairstown, New Jersey

Howell, New Jersey

Gouverneur, New York

Apex, North Carolina

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Newland, North Carolina

Glouster, Ohio

Guysville, Ohio

Williamsburg, Ohio

Talihina, Oklahoma

Alexandria, Pennsylvania

Bath, Pennsylvania

Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

Lititz, Pennsylvania

Austin, Texas(3 reports)

College Station, Texas

Converse, Texas

Dickinson, Texas

Kempner, Texas

League City, Texas

New Caney, Texas

San Antonio, Texas(2 reports)

Victoria, Texas

Chesapeake, Virginia

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Leesburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia

Nokesville, Virginia

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

Poynette, Wisconsin

Salem, Wisconsin

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Gardener's Notes:
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14 positive 2 neutral 0 negative
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j

jjwestra

Kalamazoo, MI | August 2020 | Positive
Just found my first Imperial moth caterpillar!!! It is beautiful! I raise Monarch cats so I think my kids and I will give this one a try too! Kalamazoo, MI
_

_Megg_

Bloomfield, KY | September 2018 | Positive
I found two imperial caterpillars in my yard, I kept them for a few days and both cocooned!! I think these things are so amazing and interesting
P

Pussycat69

Elkins Park, PA | August 2017 | Neutral
A female Imperial Moth let me pick her up from my porch walkway today. First time I have seen one! Philadelphia, PA
August 10, 2017


a

alice_penn

Spring Hill, FL | April 2016 | Positive
just went outside and there is a Imperial moth. Very big. Thank you for pictures on your site for us to see what we find.
a

annram

Barrington, IL | June 2015 | Positive
Found in Tower Lakes (Barrington), IL -- June 13, 2015 in the vicinity of Colorado blue spruce and red oak trees with wings beginning to grow. Within a couple of hours, it had a much shorter caterpillar body, but giant wings - 5" across. Going by pictures on the internet, this is female.
f

finisht

Poynette, WI | July 2014 | Positive
I found this Male Imperial Moth hanging out on my bricks for several days. I have never seen one like it before, So I looked it up. He is Beautiful!
2

2012Susan

Carpentersville, IL | July 2012 | Positive
I found this beautiful moth on my front porch this morning and it is still there! I would like to know what kind of nest this moth uses - I understand it is a type of silkworm? I found a sack-like nest on an ornamental tree in my backyard and wonder????
c

chrisnvictoria

Victoria, TX | November 2010 | Positive
I found one of these little guys scootin across the sidewalk at the apartments I manage. I am going to take him home and see how he does there. I currently have 3 Wooly Bear Caterpillars that I am guessing are going to overwinter until January. Maybe this little guy will do something before then.
f

fairydustpink89

Winter Garden, FL | October 2009 | Positive
I rescued an Imperial Moth about a week ago and it's now in its cacoon stage. It was a gorgeous caterpillar and, from research, will be so gorgeous as a moth.

My kids (I'm a nanny) absolutely loved playing with the caterpillar, but we're releasing "Bob" the day after he comes out of his cocoon.
A

April9024

Kansas City, MO | July 2009 | Positive
Most beautiful moth. I had never seen one. Found it on my back porch, so I just had to take pics. It's wingspan was approx 5".
G

GimpyGrandma

Lynchburg, VA | August 2008 | Neutral
This moth measured at least 6 inches from wing tip to wing tip.
N

NayButterfly

Burlington, IA (Zone 5a) | July 2008 | Positive
My 6 year old daughter and I found this moth just hanging out on our front porch! We were amazed at how big this moth is. It was about the size of my hand, a good 4 inches or so across and about 3 inches or so long!
All the neighbors and other family members came over and took a look. We looked it up on the internet and that's when we found out it is an Imperial Moth.
It stayed there for 3 days, each day it was in a different spot but still on the front porch, until it left.
It was so cute, fuzzy and peaceful. None of us have ever seen one of these before, so it was just as exciting to the adults as it was for the kids!
a

astronomy

West Des Moines, IA | July 2008 | Positive
July 15, 2008
I was coming out of the Art Center in Des Moines,
Iowa and saw this moth on the steps. The area is wooded.
Our grandson put it in a jar and brought it home. We were
all amazed at the wingspan and had never seen any insect
like this. We looked it up on your web site and saw it matched
perfectly to the imperial moth.
We released it back at the Art Center for its food source. The folks
at the Polk County conservation office said it was not harmful
to my garden or trees.
L

LunamothMama

Vineyard Haven, MA | July 2008 | Positive
I was hanging laundry this afternoon and happened to look down on the ground and spy this beautiful Imperial Moth! it's wingspan is about 4" and is just a brilliant shade of yellow with dusty purple striations on the wings. I moved him carefully away from where he was, i have a 3 year old daughter and i was afraid he'd get squished.... so he is now happily hanging out on my lowbush blueberries!

according to Wikipedia there is an actual colony of these moths here on Martha's Vineyard but this is the first i have seen.

i will contribute a photo shortly....
c

cash4rash

Swisher, IA | July 2007 | Positive
June 30th, 2007


My husband and I was on our way to Keokuk, Iowa to get a load of coal in the semi bright and early Saturday morning. We stopped at a truckstop outside Ainsworth, Iowa and this moth was resting on a pole. It is HUGE and Beautiful. Never seen one before!!!!
m

melody

Benton, KY (Zone 7a) | July 2006 | Positive
With a wingspan that sometimes reaches 5 7/8", the Imperial Moth is one of the most striking moths in North America.

It's habitat is Deuciduous and mixed forests and the catepillar feeds on broad leaved tree foliage and conferous needles.

They are most commonly seen between June and August. This moth is starting to become rare in areas where there are many streetlights, as they come to the lights at night and birds eat them the next morning.
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