Griffin's Sheepmoth is a member of the Wild Silk Moth Family.
They have black and white wings and orange heads with a wingspan from 1.75 -
3.0 inches in width. Males have a black abdomen with a red tip, while the
abdomen of females is banded with red and black. They live in high desert scrub
areas and range from southern Utah south to central Arizona, and west to
southern Nevada.
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Griffin's Sheepmoth caterpillars feed on
their host plant, which is the Blackbrush. Adult moths do not feed. |
Adults may be found flying between August and October. They
typically emerge in early morning and mate in late morning. Females lay eggs in
early afternoon in bands around twigs of the host plant. Eggs overwinter and
hatch in April; the young caterpillars feed together and when older they feed
alone. Fully-grown caterpillars may wander for 2-4 days before making loose
cocoons under plant debris or in sandy soil. |
