Polyphemus moth

Location: Norman Co. Mn.

This moth has been hanging around my backyard mainly in my birch tree. I noticed it yesterday which was the 22nd of Aug. 2026. She was hanging in the dense leaf part apparently sleeping. I got my camera out and started trying to film and photograph it though the angle and lighting wasn’t the greatest so decided to quit. I must have spooked it because once I got out from under the branches and turned around and looked back it was gone. So thought it must have flown away. Later I was just out in the backyard and looking around and the same moth was on a boxelder tree trunk though I didn’t notice until it spooked and flew down to the ground as shown in this image. It remained there for a few minutes then awkwardly crawled over grasses and fallen leaves and crawled about five feet up onto the boxelder tree trunk and remained stationary for hours. Finally in the evening I went to check on it and it did decide to crawl up a little higher then flutter its wings and flew off. However today now she is back same moth with same markings etc. and just hanging on the birch tree trunk that I first discovered her the other day. She clings tight to a piece of pealing bark and a breeze sways her in the wind a little but she hangs on. I read females have thinner or not as dense antenna and she has the thinner. I did see a few photos of males and am convinced she is a female.

I know this type of large moth lay eggs in certain trees birch being one mentioned so maybe she is going to or has. I don’t know what time of year etc. they lay eggs etc. But she seems to like my birch tree which is dense in leaves even though been dry at times and hot this summer. I wonder when the caterpillars emerge too.

Anyway I’ve been busy working and my car has been giving me issues all summer so haven’t been out in nature as much as usual. But was fortunate to find this really interesting large moth in the backyard. She will more than likely hang in that spot on the birch tree and has already for a few hours since I first seen her today. Will maybe attempt to see if I can get some imagery if she spreads those wings. Yesterday she was just mainly tight closed wings or loosely but only opened then before she flew off. Got 7 sec. video of it then switched to photos as I wanted to try get a couple good photos as well. Only got 2 before she took off. They are always hard to predict like most things in nature. Catch a person off guard.

This is how I first seen this moth on my birch tree somewhat concealed. Since they only live 4 days she would have laid eggs during that time wouldn’t she have? If so they would still hatch this summer and the caterpillars then spin a cocoon and emerge in the spring would that be correct?

Just curious and will keep my eyes open to see if I see any caterpillars around the birch trees etc. She seemed to favor the birch tree close to my back porch. The second day which was the 23rd of Aug. 2026 she just remained on the birch tree trunk for hours most of the day until around 6 pm or a little after 6pm. Haven’t seen it since. It could have been in my backyard area its whole life and I just didn’t notice it at first.

While late August seems late, it is a race against the clock.

In a warm autumn, there can still be just enough time for those eggs to hatch (about 10–14 days) and for the caterpillars to complete their 5 instars before the first hard freezes in October. However, in northern Minnesota, these late-August broods are right on the edge of the season—if cold weather sets in early or leaves drop quickly, it becomes a high-risk gamble for the offspring to reach the cocoon stage.

A second partial generation that does not reach the cocoon stage is often referred by entomologists to as a phantom generation.

I seen several images with more grayish tan colored Anthereae polyphemus moths but the one that was in my backyard was a more golden tan one with wings open. The second day her left wing was a bit worn compared to the previous first day I seen it.

If a female Polyphemus lays a brood of 150 eggs, her offspring won't all look like exact copies of her or the father. Instead, the brood will express a spectrum of variation. A single batch of eggs reared on the exact same tree will typically yield a mix—some individuals leaning golden-yellow, others warm cinnamon-brown, and others a muted gray-tan. Genetic recombination guarantees that color intensity and gray dusting vary from sibling to sibling, giving the overall population a diverse set of camouflage shades to blend into different tree bark and leaf litter.

Location: South Texas

Is the cocoon for the Polyphemus moth?

I am in South Texas. I keep trying finding these on my peach tree. This is the first year I have seen these.

Note: it has a dried leaf stuck on the hair like fibers?

Location: Austin, MN - Mower County

I thought I'd send this your way and see what you thought. I found it among a pile of pinecone scales (squirrels are messy eaters lol) my mom had raked up from under our pine trees. There is a large oak tree just feet away from the pine trees so that's why I'm thinking it's a polyphemus moth cocoon. I'm in Austin, MN - Mower county. It seems early but I'd guess it's ready to overwinter? Let me know what you think. I'm thinking of keeping it in a container in the garage to see what emerges.