#regal moth

[platycryptus]

One of my third-instar hickory horned devils (Citheronia regalis) chowing down on a sweetgum leaf

At the moment, this caterpillar is about 4 cm long, but only has two molts to go before it turns bright green and swells to the size of a hotdog

[vintagewildlife]

Hickory horned devil By: J. Robinson From: Wild, Wild World of Animals: Insects & Spiders 1977

[dailybugfacts]

Do you have any facts about the Hickory Horned Devil? They look really cool and I'm drawing one for a project.

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TODAY'S FACT IS

Did you know that the Regal Moth (Citheronia Regalis) is one of the heaviest moths found in North America? Their larvae, the Hickory Horned Devil, is also very large. The caterpillar grows massive horns and black spikes all over its body, but they're more for intimidation than anything else. They have no venom, they aren't sharp, and the worst they can do to you is get a little prickly. They need to scare off as many threats as possible so they can eat more and more. The adult moth does not have feed so it needs to sustain itself long enough from the food reserves as a caterpillar to mate before it dies.

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Photo by Grinnin

Photo by jcwesley

[raccoonmilf]

What a beautiful regal moth (Citheronia regalis)! Did you know that regal moths are the heaviest moth north of Mexico?

Unfortunately this mama laid her eggs way too far from any sort of plant matter, so I’m going to have to scoop the eggs up and hatch them at my desk once she flies away, but I always love getting to see giant moths!

[podartists]

Plate VIII | The butterfly vivarium; or, Insect home (1858) | Henry Noel Humphreys

[onenicebugperday]

@nyxknowsnothing submitted: I found this little guy under a tree while walking on my college campus. This is in the metropolitan Atlanta area, and I took this picture on August 18th, if it matters. This was the first time I had ever seen a caterpillar this big and I haven't seen anything like it since, which feels a little strange to me. Does this species only come out as caterpillars at a certain time of year, or are they just rare where I am??

This friendo is a hickory horned devil, which is the name for the caterpillar of the regal moth. They are more common in mid-late summer. They're not super UNcommon in your area, but normally they'd be on their host tree, not wandering around on the ground. Despite their fierce appearance, they don't sting or anything.

[todaysbat]

Cool moth I found today. It's a bright orange with yellow blotches and the wings are mostly black. I posted it on iNaturalist, and currently (August 14, 2025) the best guess is that it's a regal moth.

[kiiingsnake]

god's most autistic soldier