Researching mouthless moths, I found this really cool site with some really awesome photographs (like the one above) of different ones that were found on the Fermilab campus: http://tdserver1.fnal.gov/peterson/tom/Moths/Saturniidae/Saturniidae.html
I contacted Tom, the engineer who took the pictures, hoping to learn more and maybe to pick up a few dead specimens. He was very kind and shared tips about finding them. However, apparently, like most wild creatures, they're not as easily/frequently seen as they once were...
Somehow the knowledge brought back a childhood memory. One kinda freaky at the time. I was, I don't know, maybe 8 or 9, and my sort of surrogate grandmother took me with her to an island trip. We were staying in a hostel style facility, and I was sleeping on the top bunk of the bed when someone decided to turn on the light. I screamed, I think I did, or maybe I just opened my mouth and no sound came out, I can't remember... On the wall, right next to me, were moths, or butterflies, whatever they were, there must've been hundreds filling the entire space...
"I think these (particularly Cecropia and Promethea) used to be more common. The caterpillars were easy to spot on small sandbar willows and choke cherry along streams and fencerows back in the '60's through '80's, but I seldom seem to see them anymore." - Tom Peterson, Fermilab
The antennae of a butterfly are straight and club-like. The antennae of a moth vary greatly but are usually brush like with a great deal more surface area. But I doubt you were paying that much attention. lol
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