We don’t see Ceanothus silkmoths in the garden often, but when they appear – WOW – they never fail to impress! These beautiful large moths have a wingspan of up to 5”. In the greater Los Angeles area, they most often fly between the months of February to May, so that’s when you have the best chance to see them.
Ceanothus silkmoths utilize many plants as hosts for their larvae. Some of the host plants are represented in the GNG; California lilacs – Ceanothus spp., Coffeeberry – Frangula California, manzanitas – Arctostaphylos spp., currants and gooseberries – Ribes spp. I’m constantly searching for larvae on the garden’s plants and look forward to the day when I discover that WE are contributing to this magnificent moth’s lifecycle!
The Ceanothus silkmoth’s range is large, but is basically restricted to the Pacific portion of North America. It can be found from British Columbia, Canada all the way down to Baja California.