Saturniidae of Colorado

The following Saturniidae are found in Colorado. They are grouped into respective subfamilies and tribes.

Clicking on a scientific name will take you to a page with pictures and information.

If you have additional information regarding flight times (listed below table) or additional species to add, please send email to oehlkew@islandtelecom.com

Ceratocampinae Anisota oslari Sphingicampa bicolor

Hemileucinae Automeris io Coloradia doris Coloradia luski Coloradia pandora Hemileuca e. annulata H. grotei diana H. hera magnifica Hemileuca neumoegeni Hemileuca nevadensis Hemileuca nuttalli Hemileuca oliviae

Saturniinae: Attacini Hyalophora cecropia Hyalophora c. gloveri

Saturniinae: Saturniini Agapema homogena Antheraea polyphemus

Agapema homogena: June-July

Antheraea polyphemus: June-July, also form olivacaea

Automeris io: June-July

Coloradia doris: June-July

Coloradia luski: June-July

Coloradia pandora: July-August

Hemileuca eglanterina annulata: July-August

Hemileuca grotei diana: mid October

Hemileuca hera magnifica: July-August

Hemileuca nevadensis: September-October

Hemileuca nuttalli: July

Hyalophora cecropia: July

Hyalophora columbia gloveri: mid May-late June

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Some Flight Times and Other Observations for Wild Silk Moths near Eagle, Colorado
Recorded by Bill and Jake McEwen

Hyalophora gloveri
On 8/7/2007 we found four caterpillars on sandbar willow at 6,800’ elevation along Gypsum Creek 7 miles southwest of Eagle, Colorado. We reared these until they spun cocoons in late August. We overwintered them in the refrigerator. We put them in an emergence cage in early May. Two males emerged on 6/18/2008, a third male emerged on 6/19/08. One large female was the last to emerge on 6/20/2008. We placed the female outside in a bird cage in our backyard in Eagle at 6,600’ elevation. We checked on her at 4:00 a.m. 6/21/2008, and she was scenting. At 4:05 a.m. a large wild male appeared and darted back and forth at a high speed. After 25 minutes he zeroed in on the cage, was captured and placed inside. The temperature was in the upper 30’s. They paired and stayed that way until separated that evening. The female deposited approximately 300 eggs.

On 6/19/2008 we captured a female at lights in Eagle. She deposited 230 eggs over the course of three nights. We reared approximately 200 caterpillars to cocoons. We had good success on sandbar willow and chokecherry, very limited success on apple and total failure on box elder and elm.

Antheraea polyphemus On 6/13/2008 we found a spent female in town, she was dead but still soft. The weather at this time was frequently below freezing at night. On 7/11/2008 we attracted a male and female to our MV light a couple of miles north of Eagle. The female deposited 230 eggs over three nights. We reared the caterpillars with only about 20 making it to cocoons. Most were lost by using boxelder, alder and ash as food hosts. No caterpillars even started to grow on these food plants. All the caterpillars on sandbar willow and gambel oak did well and reached cocoon stage. However the caterpillars on willow grew faster and reached larger sizes than those on oak.

Sheep Moths
Hemileuca eglanterina (anulata)
Hemileuca nuttali
Hemileuca hera (magnifica)
On July 19-25, 2008 three species were abundant and flying in the mountains at 8500’-9500’ elevation. The most abundant was the Hemileuca eglanterina making up about 80% of the moths on the wing. The other two species were only about 10% each. We were out of town during the last week of July. When we returned in early August there were just a few stragglers still flying. We obtained two egg masses from snowberry and bitterbrush and intend to try rearing them.