iN PHOTOS: Mammoth-sized moths grab attention in Kamloops, Okanagan

This spring residents in the Thompson-Okanagan region are finding and photographing a variety of large moths that are native to North America, and the size of some of these moths are impressive.  The largest native moth on the continent is the cecropia silk moth, a member of the giant silk moth family, with an average wingspan of six inches. When the wings are open the forewings are brown in colour with red near the base, and the hindwings are brown and covered with crescent-shaped red spots with white centres, according to Moth Identification https://www.mothidentification.com/cecropia-moth.htm . The bodies are hairy with bands of red and white on the abdomens.  The polyphemus moth is one of the most common species in North America and is also very large with an average wingspan of 5 inches. It is named after the one-eyed Cyclops in Greek mythology because of the eyespots on its wings, according to Moth Identification https://www.mothidentification.com/polyphemus-moth.htm . The forewings are reddish or yellowish-brown with small oval eyespots on them, and white lines with pink edges can be seen on the sides of the upper wings. The eyespots look larger on the hindwings and are circled in colourful rings.  These two species of moths can be spotted between March and July.  The one-eyed sphinx moth is a member of the family of hawk moths and have smaller wingspans of roughly 3 inches across. The forewings are a combination of pale grey and dark brown colours, and a blue eyespot with a black circle in the middle can be seen when the hindwings are open. This moth can be spotted between May and August.  If you have photos of giant or interesting moths you want to share, send them to news@infonews.ca mailto:news@infonews.ca . To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .