What the heck is that?

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66957855 - Polyphemus Moth; Walton County, Georgia. April 6, 2018.

"What the heck is that?" Looking out over the upper pond, I noticed two white balls hanging from a twig on a thin tree limb over the water. They were about an inch or so long. In one I could see an opening in the top, like a tiny, ancient clay waterpot. Not being much of an entomologist, I had no clue, but figured it was some sort of cocoon.

But isn’t the internet great!? The very top photo after searching “cocoons in Georgia” revealed what I was looking for on Walter Reeves’ gardening website:

“This looks to me like the cocoon of a giant silkworm moth (family Saturniidae), and I’m thinking specifically that this is either a Polyphemus moth (most likely) or a Luna moth. The Polyphemus moth is the one likely to leave the pupa out in the open attached to a plant. Sometimes they will also spin their cocoons in the leaf litter, which is where the Luna moth spins its cocoon also. So since this was left on the tree it is most likely a Polyphemus moth (Anthraea polyphemus), and the opening on the top means that the moth has already emerged and flown away.”

And this was confirmed by the wonderful iNat community!

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66957856 - Polyphemus Moth; Walton County, Georgia. April 6, 2018.

Posted on April 6, 2022 02:10 PM by williamwisephoto