Ceanothus Silkmoth

About the Ceanothus Silk Moth (Hyalophora eurealus) not much is to be found on the internet. Lots of photographs but hardly any information about the butterfly. It is found from the dry intermontane valleys and interior of British Columbia to Baja California. Its wing span is 89-127 mm. The adults are on wing from January to July depending on the location. There is one generation per year. That is all. And of course its name: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, the blue lilac, must be important for this butterfly. I can not find any information about this, but I suspect it may feed from the flowers. Below is both are together in one picture.

The name suggests silk production and indeed, as it belongs to the larger species of silk moths, it is possible to collect their cocoons to make silk. However this is not the same quality of silk as produced by the Bombyx mori.


The 2012 LE scent that carries its name has the following description:

Blood orange, night-blooming jasmine, vanilla bean, bog wood, Spanish moss, benzoin, and oudh.

I was expecting much from this, as I love both oudh and blood orange. Benzoin and vanilla would make it a little sweeter, which couldn't hurt. However, the night-blooming jasmine is so strong that I hardly smell anything else and certainly no orange. Of course orange is a very volatile note and if you don't smell it in the wet stage, you probably won't smell it at all. The wet stage was a heavy night-blooming jasmine attack that left no space for a modest blood orange. So the Queen of the Night took all the attention.

In a way I am glad for this, for Pannychis can fill all my needs for night-blooming jasmine so I won't need to but this moth. But I would have liked a little more brown in this scent and a little less night-white.