Ceanothus Silkmoth (Hyalophora euryalus) is a MOTH that was deemed too beautiful to leave out from this page. It’s a large moth, with a wingspan of 3.5 to 5 inches. In our local area, it is seen during all 12 months of the year. However, numbers are negligible from August through January, and peak in April. It has a large variety of host plants including Ceanothus, Manzanita (Arctostaphylos), Gooseberry (Ribes), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Willow (Salix), Alder (Alnus), and Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides).
Like most moths, it is nocturnal. It tends to fly very late at night, sometimes as late as 3 or 4 am. Like many moths, it has no mouth parts, and does not feed as an adult, subsisting entirely on fat reserves stored during pupation.
It is primarily found along the west coast, from British Columbia east to western Montana, and south through Washington, western Oregon, and California to Baja California.
