Found this guy today...

[pegdragger]

And brought him home for a photoshoot... Can anyone identify him?

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h65/Mhenry74/moth1.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h65/Mhenry74/moth2.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h65/Mhenry74/moth3.jpg

[lakedrunk]

Great pictures!!! I have no clue what kind of Moth it is but it sure is a pretty cool lookin one!

[Michael Hetrick]

Hmmmm..... I wonder what the difference between a moth and butterfly is?

[lakedrunk]

Hmmmm..... I wonder what the difference between a moth and butterfly is?

I think there are more differences than most people think. The one thing I always look at is their anntenae (sp?) Butterfly's have a little nob or ball at the end of their antenae and Moth's don't.

[pegdragger]

Ok, my Biology major friend loves a challenge and found out exactly what it is. She is a school teacher in Central Massachusetts and uses a lot of my pics on her website for her class to identify for extra credit. Here is what she wrote;

I figured it out :)

check out this web page (http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4TH/KKHP/1insects/cecropia.html)

It is acecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) is the largest North American moth.

I love these pictures! Any way I could get a copy of each of these? I would love to blow them up to make posters for my room ( I collect butterfly and moth stuff! )

This would make an awesome poster! Did you get the location of where it was shot? You should submit it to butterfliesandmoths.org!!

Great job as always!

[EZE RIDER]

Nice shots!

[pegdragger]

I just got this email from Hugh McGuinness at www.butterfliesandmoths.org;

Hi Michael,

Indeed your moth is Hyalophora cecropia. It is a female, as can be discerned from the relatively small, unfeathery antennae. If you still have her, you can put her in a paper bag and let her lay eggs and then raise some of the caterpillars and put the rest of them on appropriate host plants. She will only live about a week (she has no functioning mouthparts). There is plenty of info on the web about how to raise Cecropia moth caterpillars.

I will enter your sighting into the BAMONA database. I need to know the county in which the sighting occurred and would appreciate it if you would confirm that it was in Saratoga county. Feel free to photograph and send any other moths you find. There are probably another 1500 species in you county!

Hugh

Hugh McGuinness
The Ross School
18 Goodfriend Dr.
East Hampton, NY 11937
631 907 5229

[LAVrod]

Love the shots. How'd you take him/her home?

[Michael Hetrick]

I just got this email from Hugh McGuinness at www.butterfliesandmoths.org;

That is pretty cool. I used to (b o y is this geeky to admit) submit hummingbird sightings.

[rjrivero]

That is pretty cool. I used to (b o y is this geeky to admit) submit hummingbird sightings.

You can say that again....;)

[pegdragger]

Love the shots. How'd you take him/her home?

My 17 year od part timer does an internship at a bakery. She had brought in a box with some scones and muffins and I put her in it with some holes in the top. As of last night she is still alive. I left her at work so I can release her back into her natural habitat.

[Michael Hetrick]

My 17 year od part timer does an internship at a bakery. She had brought in a box with some scones and muffins and I put her in it with some holes in the top. As of last night she is still alive. I left her at work so I can release her back into her natural habitat.

That whole "has no working mouthparts" thing must really suck.

[SawDawg]

I took a pic of one last summer. I'll try to dig it up. Not as good pic as you took. I could'nt talk the little bugger into coming back to the studio with me. LOL

[Diamond Lil]

How exactly did you get her to stay on that piece of whatever it is so that you could take the pictures?

[pegdragger]

How exactly did you get her to stay on that piece of whatever it is so that you could take the pictures?

She hasn't moved much in the past few days. I think she is injured. I still have her at work. The piece of whatever is actually fiberglass. It was on the ground next to her so I used it to pick her up. Knew at that point that because she didn't fly away that she wasnt doing well.

[Diamond Lil]

It is unfortunate that most of the pictures people get of such creatures are when they are either not feeling well or dead.

[Kodatech]

I dont know what it is but the shots of it are great!

[pegdragger]

I dont know what it is but the shots of it are great!

Thanks! It turned out to be a moth.