The neighbors were outside last night looking at this. It just emerged from the cocoon and was hanging out waiting for its wings to fill out. It is 4-5 inches in length.
Here's a bit on it.
When the adults eclose, they have to pump fluid into their wings to extend them. The females emit pheromones at night, which the male can detect with its large, bushy antennae. Males can fly for miles in order to reach a female. The moths mate, and the female spends the remainder of her life laying eggs, while the male may mate several more times. Because the adult moths do not have mouth parts they are unable to eat. As a result, the lifespan for an adult Cecropia moth is generally only 7 to 10 days in the wild, perhaps a little longer or shorter, depending on how much movement the moth makes.
An OSU Entomologist sent me a little about it. He says "They don’t feed as adults, so she would need to find a mate and get to reproducing ASAP!"
Well, she wasted no time. This was the scene this morning...
The little tart.
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