The sheep moth, or common sheep moth (Hemileuca eglanterina), is a member of the Saturniidae family of silk moths and is native to California west of the Sierran crest and the mountains of Southern California ranging near to the coast. The moth is dayflying and appears in summer. It feeds on plants of three genera: Ceanothus, Rhamnus (including coffeeberry), and Rosa. Nuttall's sheep moth and one other species are similar, occurring in sagebrush areas east of the Sierra Nevada.
The sheep moth has a 5.5-8.5 centimeter wingspan and a relatively slender body and (FW) wings that pink with a yellow streak in the middle and (HW) yellowish with variable black markings with an all-black form near Mount Shasta. The larva are black with branched yellowish spines that become orange in later development and an orange-brown head.
Famous quotes containing the words sheep and/or moth:
“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”
—Bible: New Testament, Luke 15:4.
“Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,”
—Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894)