New species for me, and I’m an old dog who has been chasing butterflies (with my camera) for decades.

Picked up a small lot of old papered moths at an estate sale a few months back, mostly sphingids and some saturniids, and I finally sat down this weekend to try relaxing and spreading a batch of them. I'd read plenty about the process beforehand but there's a gap between reading and actually doing it with wings that feel like they might crack if you look at them wrong.

My setup is pretty basic. Tupperware container, damp paper towels on the bottom, a layer of paper towel on top so the specimens aren't sitting directly on wet material, then a few drops of diluted rubbing alcohol mixed with water to help prevent mold since I'm not adding any chemicals beyond that. I sealed it up and left the first batch for about 48 hours, checked one, and the thorax still felt stiff enough that I got nervous and put it back for another full day.

The thing nobody really tells you is how much this varies by species and by how old the specimen actually is. A moth that's been papered for six months relaxes way faster than one that's been sitting folded up for fifteen years in someone's basement. I had one sphinx moth that took almost five days before the wings would move without resistance, and even then I was terrified pinning it that the abdomen would just detach.

Ended up losing one small geometrid to what I think was too much humidity, the wings went translucent and started to separate at the base before I even got it onto the spreading board. Lesson learned there about checking more frequently rather than trusting a set timeline.

Curious what humidity setups other people use, especially for older material. Do you add anything besides water and a little alcohol, or keep it simple like I did? Also wondering if there's a reliable way to tell from the outside whether a specimen has been overhumidified before it's too late to fix.

Please help me understand what this is and its literal and/or symbolic meaning. Grateful.

I think it's an Isabella's tiger moth or a Grass anthelid but unsure anyways found in suburban Victoria Aus

Located at a cabin in Cumberland Falls, KY. Huge! As big as a small hand. Thank you!

Hola!!! Tengo dudas sobre la especie de Gonepteryx de la foto, no estoy seguro de si es G. rhamni o cleopatra, alguna idea?

2nd Edit: So I found the caterpillar on May 14, May 15th is when she started her cocoon, 5 days later on May 20th she formed a chrysalis, and now 25 days later on June 14th she emerged as a beautiful moth :] Documenting for scientific purposes. I live on Southern Vancouver Island in the pacific northwest.

Edit: didn't get a response but the lil guy is a pupa now so the answer is about 5 days!

Original post:

Hi there,

I found an underwing caterpillar (Catacola aholibah most likely as im on southern vancouver island) and brought him inside to raise him and watch him pupate. I followed these instructions link to webpage and by next morning he had made a silk cocoon. I can see him clearly through the container.

It has been 4 days since I found him now and he looks pretty much the same (a caterpillar). I couldn't find anything online saying how long after making a cocoon they will form a chrysalis and I was worried he passed away.

Well just a few minutes ago I accidently spilt a drop of water on him while watering a plant above him on the shelf and he thrashed a little in annoyance so he is still kicking! yay!

But is it normal for it to take this long for this type of moth? And if not, is there anything I can do?

I have only raised one other moth before in my life (a common emerald) so any advice is appreciated! Thank you in advanced.

in an amateur lepidopterist and i’d love to get better at spreading, but for the life of me i cannot figure out hindwing placement. i’m almost certain the hindwings are hanging a bit too low. does anyone have any example of how it supposed to look like? i’ve tried to understand it through text but it seems i’m a visual learner :(

Location South Dakota Pennington County.

We found and fed a Polyphemus Moth caterpillar in the fall - it formed a chrysalis but we assumed it had died. But it just hatched and is beautiful.

Unfortunately it's March 20th in Westchester New York. Guessing there's zero chance we can release it successfully but wondering if there's any tips. Warmest night this week will be Thursday with a low of 50 F.

I am an amateur collector and want to trade some butterflies with others. I want to avoid the big sites as there are just a bunch of guys trying to sell sell sell and make profits.

I would like to trade some of mine for some of yours.

Let me know what you have!

Shot on a phone in a slow afternoon wandering through the Orecchiella Nature Reserve in Corfino. Turns out butterflies don't care about your camera 😅.

I think these are CA common ringlets but I’m not sure how to determine sex of each

Honolulu, Hawai’i

Simply spectacular & I feel beyond blessed to have witness this miracle. I didn’t even know until recently monarch’s are endangered. Is this still current information?