Silkmoths and more: Rhodinia fugax

Ceanothus? Isn't that a bit an unusual food plant for Rhodinia fugax? Yes, it is. Normally, I rear them on Crataegus. They are fairly polyphagous though. Besides many Rosaceae (Prunus, Malus, Rosa), they also accept Quercus, Fagus, Castanaea, Phellodendron, Ulmus, Zelkova and Salix. The reason why I reared them on Ceanothus this time, was only because the eggs were send to me late winter, directly from Japan. By the time they got to Belgium they were already about to hatch. Placing them back in the fridge wasn't an option, so I've just let them hatch and used the Ceanothus out the garden for an early start of the breeding season. They grow relatively slow, especially in the final instar. It can easily take seven to eight weeks before they spin their cocoons. I'm gonna miss their funny squeaking sounds. The moths will emerge this autumn.