Sagebrush sheep moth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sagebrush sheep moth |
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The Hemileuca hera, also known as the sagebrush sheep moth or Hera buckmoth, is a type of moth. It belongs to the Saturniidae family, which includes many large and colorful moths. This moth was first described by a scientist named Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. You can find these moths in North America. They live from southern Saskatchewan in Canada, west to British Columbia, and south into Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.
What is the Sagebrush Sheep Moth?
The sagebrush sheep moth is a beautiful insect. It has a large wingspan, which is the distance from one wingtip to the other. Their wings can measure between 71 and 93 millimeters wide. That's about the length of a credit card! Adult moths fly around from July to September. The exact time depends on where they live.
Life Cycle and What They Eat
Like all moths, the sagebrush sheep moth goes through different stages in its life cycle. It starts as an egg, then hatches into a larva (a caterpillar), then becomes a pupa, and finally an adult moth.
The young moths, called larvae or caterpillars, need specific plants to eat. The caterpillars of Hemileuca hera hera enjoy munching on plants like Artemisia tridentata (which is sagebrush), A. tripartita, Lupinus, and Eriogonum. Another type of this moth, Hemileuca hera marcata, mainly eats A. tridentata (sagebrush). These plants are very important for the caterpillars to grow big and strong.
Different Types of Sagebrush Sheep Moths
Scientists sometimes divide animal species into smaller groups called subspecies. These groups are slightly different from each other, often because they live in different areas. The sagebrush sheep moth has two main subspecies:
- Hemileuca hera hera: This type is found in the Great Basin area.
- Hemileuca hera marcata: This type lives in Southern Oregon.
