Eastern Buckmoth

by Don Balke

Title

Eastern Buckmoth

Artist

Don Balke

Medium

Painting - Watercolor On Cold Press Illustration Board

Description

The Eastern Buckmoth (Hemileuca maia) female lays her eggs in fall around a twig, usually oak. The eggs overwinter and hatch in spring as yellow-brown to purplish-black caterpillars with numerous white spots and a reddish head. Relatively large -- measuring 1 to 2 inches long -- the larvae's bodies are covered with long hollow spines and tufts of shorter spines connected to underlying poison glands. Contact with these spines causes inflammation and a burning sensation as painful as a bee sting. Unlike most moth species, the Eastern Buckmoth larvae stay together, moving like a train to feed off the leaves of oak, willow and other plants in the deciduous forest. When they are ready to pupate, the larvae become solitary feeders before burrowing into the soft soil and leaf litter several inches beneath the forest floor. They usually emerge in the late summer or early fall, but some don't reappear until the following spring. While most moth species fly at night, the adult Eastern Buckmoth is a daytime flyer. The female is larger than the male and has a wing span of two to three inches at maturity. However, the male's and female's colorations are quite similar - the upper side of both is black with off-white bands and small eyespots on each wing. The most distinguishing color characteristic is the tips of red on the male's abdomen. This painting shows a male Eastern Buckmoth resting on a tree branch.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 2005 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB17374

Uploaded

April 7th, 2022

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags