Anonymous from IA
They are common here in IA...I have found several the last few weeks here in SE IA.
It is probably heading to pupate, so it is best to either just let it crawl under a bush or else put it in a wooded area where it can crawl into the soil to pupate. In a wooded area then the moth will have trees to lay eggs on next summer. However if it is in your yard there must be some trees nearby that it has crawled from...they do not travel that far from their food source.
Great find! Thanks for taking care of it!
Imperial moth by: Anonymous
I just found one of these Imperial Moth Caterpillarson my patio, I live in Ia, so from what I just read, he is out of this region, I want to release him somewhere safe, my dogs are very interested in him, and I don't think a concrete patio is the best place for him, I don't know where he came from.
Imperial moth caterpillar by: Moni
Candy
Your photo is of the Imperial moth caterpillar.
These are found in eastern US, Ontario and Quebec.
This is one of the silkmoth (Saturniidae family) caterpillars...most get very large ... rather spectacular in color and size!
This caterpillar feeds on leaves of Bald Cypress, basswood, birch, cedar, elm, hickory, Honeylocust, maple, oak, pine, Sassafras, Sweetgum, sycamore, walnut. It may be heading to find a place in the soil to pupate for the winter.
Adult moths do not feed and do come to lights at night.
Here are some photos of the larva and moth so you can look for the moth next summer.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/4757/bgimage
