The Giant Silk Moths of Mount Auburn
By Paul Kwiatkowski Director of Urban Ecology & Sustainability he most common New England native species of the Giant Silk Moth
T family , Saturnidae , are Cecropia , Promethea , Polyphemus , and Luna moths . Although once quite common , their numbers have become
greatly reduced by habitat destruction , pesticide use , and light pollution . Especially in urban habitats .
Citizen Scientist Dawn Dentzer has been boosting local urban populations by breeding and releasing both Cecropia ( Hyalophora cecropia ) and Luna ( Actias luna ) moths and caterpillars . Dentzer recently remarked , “ The caterpillars are an element of the food web for birds that is already fragile from declining insect populations . Raising them in my native plant garden , and now on native trees at Mount Auburn Cemetery , is my small contribution .”
Through her knowledge and experience , we hope that we can once again build up healthy populations at Mount Auburn Cemetery and beyond to help bolster this segment of the ecosystem .
Photos by Dawn Dentzer Illustrations by Simone Nemes www . simonenemes . com
14