The Weekly Photo Challenge is: Yellow
Yesterday, I was sweeping my porch and swept up a beautiful yellow male Io moth. At first, I thought it was dead, but when threatened he flipped his forewings forward exposing the large eyespots on his hind wings.
Most people in Nicaragua are afraid of gusanos, or caterpillars. I had no idea why, until I researched the venomous sting of the Io moth caterpillar. Virtually the entire bodies of larvae are protected by venomous spines. When spines penetrate the skin, the tips break off and release the venom.
His eyespots have white highlights resembling reflections of vertebrate eyes.
He rested and permitted me to take his photo.
The adult Io moths are strictly nocturnal. They remain motionless during the daytime and mimic the yellow or brown leaves that are common here.
I set him on a blue bottle for a contrast. He didn’t make a fuss, and remained motionless for his photos.
That evening, when I checked on him, he had flown away…probably searching for a mate. The females always emit a pheromone to call the males from approximately 9:30 pm to midnight.
The life cycle of an adult Io moth is short-lived. The adults do not eat, and when the mating process is complete, they drop lifelessly to the forest floor.
WOW !! beautiful and fascinating !! ❤
Thanks, Andy.
Wow I have never seen a moth like that before Debbie! At first I thought it wasn’t real! Amazing!
I know, Nicole. When I swept it off the porch, at first I thought it was a leaf, but then I saw the eyespots and his wings began to flutter. I’ve made it my Facebook profile. Haha.
What a beauty!
Thanks, Leya, he sure is.
how fascinating is this – and perfect for the challenge!
Thanks for visiting, Pix.
What a find….just in time to be featured on yellow.
Yes, lulu, it was an amazing find just in time for the challenge. Thanks for stopping by.
Really beautiful photos
Thanks so much, Shikha.
What a beautiful moth….great photos
Isn’t he gorgeous? Thanks, Treerabold.
Wow, great shots. And such an amazing creature.
Thanks, Regina. He is amazing. I learned many new things about this yellow fellow.
Beautiful moth!
Thanks, lizard.
What a fascinating critter! I am always amazed by Nature’s intelligence that helps creatures develop their camouflage and defense mechanisms.
Me, too, Annette. It’s so fascinating.
Perfect entry, Debbie and, I of course, love it when you tie it into your beautiful Nicaraguan natural world.
Thanks, Lynne. Of course, I have to tie Nicaragua into most of the photo challenges. 🙂
Your photos were fabulous and I really enjoyed reading about the lo moth. What an interesting creature in all his protective guises! Anita
Anita, the moths fascinate me in Nicaragua. I took the photo of the larvae a long time ago because my neighbors were freaking out when they saw it. I had no idea it was a Io moth caterpillar. Then, when I was researching the life cycle of the Io moth, I discovered that this was the Io moth caterpillar. Wicked spikes.
The mimicry of the eye spots on that moth is very impressive; designed to scare off predators? The larvae is amazing too with all that spiny armament.
Yes, designed to scare off predators. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
WOW! these are awesome. 🙂
Thanks, K.Z. Happy holidays.
happy holidays! 🙂
Whoa!! That butterfly is unreal!
Isn’t it cool? Those eyespots are amazing. Thanks Wise Monkey.
Amazing photos! Love your blog!
What do you hear of the proposed canal through Nicaragua?
Thanks so much, John. Oh my! About the canal…don’t get me started. Construction on the ports is to start in two more days. The people living in the path are refusing to leave their homes. They haven’t been compensated yet, but the military is telling them to leave immediately. I’m really worried.
Wow!! What an amazing set of photos and perfect for this challenge!
janet
Thanks Janet. The pingbacks are working, now. Thank goodness. These photos were perfect for the challenge. I must have taken over 100 photos of this yellow fellow yesterday.
What a beautiful creature – and a stunning shot.
So glad you like the photos, Nuvofelt.
Wow! Quite a moth! And a great submission for the challenge!
Thanks so much, mithriluna. I got lucky with this photo challenge as I was in the process of writing a post about this yellow fellow.