Sometime in late December, 2007 in the Conservancy garden, an Io moth laid her eggs on the wild cotton plant in garden 11. While working in the garden in early January, several horticulture volunteers spotted 9 caterpillars on the bottom of a single wild cotton leaf. When the leaf was moved, all of the caterpillars fell to the ground and scurried to shelter. We were warned not to touch them because of their venomous spines. Two caterpillars were captured and raised so they could be photographed and studied.

In the photographs below, the caterpillars are enlarged to show the spines. In the picture at right, note the silk threads attached to the leaf. The silk is used to secure the caterpillar to the leaf. Io moths are giant silkmoths and they spin silk cocoons; however, the silk is not the fine quality of the silk moth that is commercially bred for its silk.

Caterpillars (larvae) have very simple eyes and chewing jaws.

At left, a caterpillar is chewing the leaf of the wild cotton plant. Io moth larvae can eat a variety of plants in addition to wild cotton, including maple, oak, willows, clover, corn, and ash.

The head end of this caterpillar is on the left. There are three pairs of jointed, walking legs at the head end. The five pairs of prolegs toward the back of the caterpillar are not jointed; they function well in grasping.

The red and white lines on these caterpillars are very distinctive, and useful in identifying this species.

As these caterpillars continue to grow, they can get quite large.

Its defensive position is shown here. Curled in this way, a predator would probably leave it alone.

In late January, 2008 the caterpillars crawled to a place to pupate.

Shown at left, one of the caterpillars begins spinning a silk cocoon and uses silk threads to pull leaves around its body. Below, the caterpillar has completely surrounded itself with a camouflaged disguise of leaves.

About 45 days later, one of the adult moths emerged from its cocoon.

As shown above on the left, the underwings of the Io moth have huge eyespots. At rest, the underwings are covered and its wing span is about 2 inches. With the wings open, the span is about 3 inches.

Two days after the first moth emerged, the second moth emerged. Its color was more vivid.

In mid March, the day after each adult emerged, they were returned to the wild cotton plant, from which the caterpillars were collected. The sex of these two moths is unknown for sure, but it is thought they are females. (Florida's Fabulous Butterflies by Thomas C. Emmel and Brian Kenney) shows a picture on page 76 of the feather-like antenna of the male. Neither of these moths had this kind of antenna and both were reddish in color, not yellow, as described for males in Florida's Fabulous Butterflies.)

Unlike adult butterflies, adult moths are most active at night. It is then that our two moths will feed, fly, and mate.

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Links:

Index to Butterfly and Moth Visitors to Gardens

Index To Photographs of Plants in the Gardens

Plant Lists by Garden

Conservancy of SW Florida Butterfly Garden Home Page

Conservancy of SW Florida Home Page.

Please report errors to Susan Snyder at ssnyder2@columbus.rr.com