Gypsy Moths

Female and male Gypsy Moths

Some information on these moths: Adult Gypsy moths emerge from their pupae in mid-summer. Female Gypsy moths do not fly although they have wings. Males do fly and can be seen fluttering about during the day searching out females in order to mate.  Neither the males nor the females have active digestive systems and therefore do not eat during their lives as moths. Gypsy moth females lay between 500 to 1,000 eggs that they cover in tan coloured hairs from their bodies.  These eggs hatch in spring into caterpillars.

This is a female Gypsy Moth which has just emerged from its pupa.  The wings need to unfurl.

Here you can see the wings have expanded a little more.

At this stage she begins to rock back and forth and shake her wings.

Now her beautiful, velvety wings are fully extended.

And finally, she folds them down which is her final "pose". It took a lot of energy for her to unfurl these wings and yet, sadly, she will never experience flight.

Here is a newly emerged male.  Check out those amazing antennae!! (Unfortunately I did not witness the early part of the process.)

Here is a female with her egg mass. (This photo was taken years earlier).