CLAY COUNTY – Winter arrived and many of our trees lost their leaves. Look up into a tree’s canopy and you may see a cocoon attached to a branch. I did recently and was surprised to see five parchment-like cocoons in my River Birch tree. I found that another cocoon had fallen to the ground and was still attached to part of the twig. There was a hole in the top of the cocoon. I did research regarding the shape and color of the cocoon and learned that the cocoon was that of a Polyphemus Moth, and the hole indicated a moth had emerged.

I learned this moth is relatively common throughout Florida. I also learned that this moth spends the winter in its cocoon and usually emerges in March. Since Florida often has relatively mild winters in January and February, it could also emerge during this time period. With our warm weather this past January, it must have emerged. This moth only lives a few days after emergence, just long enough to mate and start the next generation. The adult does not have mouth parts and cannot feed. The adult moth’s entire energy supply is what it accumulated in its caterpillar stage.

Be on the lookout this Spring and see if you can spot one of these moths, frequently seen at night around streetlights.

Learn more about the garden club by following our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Orangeparkgardenclub and our website at: https://site.google.com//view//orangeparkgc.