Should I do anything to help this moth?

[Flaxbee]

OK, last night a large (probably 4-5 inch wingspan) moth attached itself to our screen door, and I thought nothing of it, just looked at it, ooohed and aahhed, and went to bed. He's a beauty, with sorta orangish-red "fur" (for lack of a better word) on his body (which is about 1.5 inches long) and with two beatiful eye markings on each wing (well, one eye marking on each wing, each side of the moth's body has two wings, one upper, one lower).

Now, the guy's still hanging on, and it's 2:30 pm my time -- usually they leave during the night but he's stayed all day so far.

Does he need help? We live in the woods in N.Virginia, there are plenty of trees, etc. (unless the poor guy got driven nuts by the cicadas and just wanted to leave the trees to the furiously f**king cicadas). Does this symbolize some doom or gift or is it some other portent that I should know about?

Any insect people here who can give me some info, like, for starters, what kind of moth this might be? And if I should try to gently take him somewhere? He looks fine, no injuries, but I'm afraid to touch him, I don't want to damage his wings or anything...

[HEyHEY]

1. Maybe, he wants some food

Give him a shirt

[Speck Tater]

2. I've seen that happen many times.

They kind of go dormant for a while then fly off a day or two or three later.

The odds are the moth knows what it's doing. Let it do its thing.

[bahrbearian]

6. Yes I've seen them stay for a Few days, I do love Moths.

[trof]

3. CPR

But VERY gently.
;-)

[amazona]

4. they can hang out three or four days

I rarely see many large moths any more but back in the day a large one might pick a spot and stay for 2-4 days. If he's in the way, gently pick him up and put him on a tree bark where he'll fit in. If not, I'd let him be. If he's already mated and is one of those who don't eat as adults, he might only have hours or days left, but they seem satisfied to enjoy them just hanging out. The moth (adult) stage rarely has a long lifespan so don't be over-anxious if he does pass on, it isn't something you did. However, I have seen them take wing again after a few days. Maybe he (or she!) is just waiting for an opposite sex moth to drift by.


There are so many moths with "eye" markings I could not even begin to guess at the species. You could try a photograph but even then it might be hard going to pin down the species unless your post caught the attention of a true specialist.

[Flaxbee]

5. I took a photo but at present don't have a way to get it

online; I also tried to google it and well, zillions of "eye" markings popped up, you're right, it would be hard to identify the guy.

OK, I'll just let him/her be. Not bothering me or anyone else, and he's in no danger of getting squashed or attacked by my cats.

Thanks, all!

[BrotherBuzz]

7. Giant Silkworm or Saturnid moth

"This family contains some of the largest and most beautiful insects in the world. Many of them have large "eyespots" on their wings, which are believed to surprise or alarm potential predators. Males have unusually broad, featherlike antennae. They find mates by "smelling" a chemical attractant that the females release into the night air. Saturnids lack functional mouth parts and do not feed as adults.Some species, especially males, are active by day. Others are active at night and are attracted to lights." (From Peterson First Guides-INSECTS by Christpher Leahy) One type is the Cecropia moth, which you could Google.
You could offer a drop of sugar water, like the nectar hummingbirds eat.

[Flaxbee]

8. he's got phenomenal feathered antennae!

They're pretty spectacular, this guy is wonderfully adorned.

He's hanging on our screen door -- where should I put some sugar water? And do I need to boil the sugar water mixture first? I hesitate to put that out, honestly, b/c I don't want to attract hummingbirds b/c we're moving and I don't want any hummingbirds to get dependent on us before we leave... But could I drop some onto the screen, you think?

[BrotherBuzz]

9. Hummingbird food (fake flower nectar) is made by

heating 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. The hot water will dissolve the sugar faster (like the ease of mixing sugar in to hot tea vs.iced tea).
Just make a tiny amount and drip a drop on the screen near him if the moth doesn't seem bothered by your hand's proximity. Well... he may not be the kind that can eat, so he's likely just fine (resting above your cat's reach!)
I am, by the way, BrotherBuzz's wife. He left DU on and I didn't want to bother to log in under my name!
Once I rescued a honeybee from the Pacific surf. I dabbed off the water from her wings with the corner of a towel, blew on her gently, and after she soaked up the sun for a few minutes she flew away.