Love is in the Air...
In the case of the Cecropia moth, this statement is actually quite literal!
The female Cecropia moth, which is the largest silkmoth in North America, begins to release sex pheromones shortly after she emerges from her cocoon. Male Cecropia have plume-like antennae, which are capable of picking up the wind-borne female pheromone from miles away. They then use their antennae to follow the pheromone and hone in on the female.
We noticed this mating pair of Cecropia moths in a sugar maple tree on the Conservancy’s campus. Since the females tend to stay close to their cocoons, she likely emerged within the last day or so from either the cocoon in the bottom photo or another one nearby.
The female (on the right in the top photo) has a heavier, more rounded abdomen which contains a full set of mature eggs. The male, on the other hand, has more developed antennae, which helps him detect and follow the powerful female pheromone.
The sole purpose of the adult stage of the Cecropia moth is to mate and lay eggs. Since the adult moths do not eat, they have a short life span of about seven to ten days.
Once this couple separates, the male will fly off in search of another female to fertilize. The female will likely stay close and will begin to lay her eggs over the next couple of nights.
