Bug FAQColumbia Silk Moth
Hyalophora columbia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Saturniidae
Also called: Columbia Silkmoth
The Columbia silk moth has a wingspan of about 8 to 10 cm. It lives in eastern Canada and the northern United States as well as western North America down to central Mexico. Adults are seen flying from May through July and there is one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 80 to 100 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
In the east it occurs from Quebec and Ontario down to Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Manitoba.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Eastern larvae feed on tamarack (Larix laricina). Western larvae feed on a variety of shrubs and trees including several Prunus species, Purshia tridentata, roses, willows, Shepherdia argentea, Eleagnus angustifolius, and Ceanothus.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to July. The species produces one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active during the late spring and early summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to eastern Canada and the northern United States, and also to western North America down to central Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Colorado, Vermont, New Hampshire.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do the caterpillars eat?
In the east they eat tamarack, while in the west they feed on various Prunus species, Purshia, roses, willows, Shepherdia, Eleagnus, and Ceanothus.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Saturniidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyalophora_columbia
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.