eKeehn: Our Polyphemus Moth!

Do you remember last August when I found an incredibly fat green caterpillar in our yard and brought it inside for the girls to see and it immediately made its cocoon?? We kept it in a big jar on the front porch all winter long and Rob and I were both convinced that it had frozen to death. But low and behold:

It Hatched!!!

The girls really enjoyed petting it's furry head and thorax. We got online and learned that this one is a girl because it has small antennae, not the feathery ones that the males have. We also learned that these moths have no mouth parts. Once they hatch they have only the energy stored up from their larval stage to get them through the last few days of their lives. Kinda sad...

The girls were incredibly enamored with her but soon wanted to play games with the moth. It was a truly blustery windy day and I had hoped to keep her on the back porch for one night until the wind died down, but she was too much temptation and after a little damage to her wing I decided she was safer in the wind than in the house with two girls! I took her to the bushes in front of our house and she stayed there for a while, but once we took our eyes off of her, she was off! I hope she laid her eggs nearby and that we can find another fat green caterpillar this summer!