The Silk Moth Arrives

After a few minutes of rest from the struggle of emerging, the silk moth's wings are pumped fully and the beautiful creamy white moth looks around the world for the fist time. I love to greet the moth and enjoy looking at it intently. The body sections and legs are soft and furry, and the antennae are shaped like large combs!

Each one is slightly different in size, shape, health, etc. The moths can't actually fly, because they've been domesticated for the silk industry for thousands of years. They walk and propel themselves with their wing action.  See more about the history and life of the silkworm...

The females are large and wide (they have hundreds of eggs inside- and the most special moment is when the newly emerged female flexes her body to reveal tissue paper thin sections where you can actually see the eggs in her body!!)  

The males are thinner and are very alert to the scent of any nearby female. They will start buzzing around the female by flapping their wings so fast it feels like a fan, as they move all around in an agitated way.

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