Thursday, June 26, 2014

Hiking Minnehaha Falls!

After our hike to Tallulah Gorge, we all (Gracie, Me, Rocco and his Mum (from To Dog With Love)) got back in the car and headed into the deep of the Chattahoochee National Forest to a place we had read about called Minnehaha Falls.

See the inscription on the railing, I think they spelled it wrong don't you? Ooopsie!

The drive there was a little confusing as our GPS went out once we reached a certain point in the forest, no cell signal. But we managed to find it after taking only one little detour.

This had been later after a few big rains here in the mountains, and one of the roads was in the way of a free flowing creek. Mum dutifully stopped the car in front of this stream and took a look. Most of it looked very shallow, but one area looked deeper. She grabbed a long branch and made her way to the deep end and tested to see how deep it was. Yep, a-ok! Our Rover will make it through. And off we went.


The trail was only about 1/4 a mile which means we didn't get in a lot of hiking on this day trip, but we did get to see some awesome falls. Here is the first sighting of falls, a nice little drop with a great little wading pool that I just had to investigate.


Yep, water feels fine!!! 


Gracie and Rocco had to have a little drink. Mum doesn't usually let us drink from streams unless they are high in the mountains and are very free flowing. How's it taste guys? Nom!!!


Again, I just had to investigate, check out the little vid...Oh watch out, there's a drop off there!


Mum, Gracie and I got a little ahead of Rocco and his Mom, we turned left and headed up the trail just about 20 feet further and wow! What a sight! Take a look.



The falls are named for Minnehaha, a fictional character in the epic poem 'The Song of Hiawatha' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

'And he named her from the river,
From the water-fall he named her,
Minnehaha, Laughing Water.'

On the way back we had to try and get a threesome shot, and thanks to Rocco's Mom having some new and different yummy treats, we indulged, dutifully!


I'll leave you today with this amazing shot. Yep that's me at Minnehaha Falls!


Till next time...

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Today I am 10 years old!!!

Today is a milestone day for me, I am 10 years old and it's my birthday!

Some say that I'm 56 in human years, some say 53. But I don't feel a day over 25, that's fur sure.

Last year I posted about all the things I have accomplished over the years, from herding sheep, to getting my MACH, to living in several states, to being featured in a coffee table book, to tracking and finding my kittie bro, Wiggy and lots, lots more.

Also, last year I set some goals for myself; a few more items for a bucket list, if you will.

I'm proud to say that I accomplished three of them this past year, from getting my ADCH to catching a squirrel to sinking my teeth into a whole chicken.

There are just a couple of more items on my bucket list with lots of years left from running free on an ocean beach to playing with a little bro.


So I guess I'm going to have to rethink my bucket list and add more things, like maybe making a cameo appearance in a feature film or spending three full days with just my Mum and have her all to myself....who knows? Much to ponder....

Do you have any bucket list items for your dog?

Friday, June 20, 2014

My second agility trial in PIII USDAA!

Just a few weeks after my first agility trial at PIII, it was time for my second one.

This one was held near Canton, just about an hour from us. Friday was Masters only, Saturday Masters and then Advanced/Starters and Sunday Advanced/Starters only.

Friday was a very short day and Mum entered me in Jumpers and Snooker. Saturday we were entered in Gamblers, Snooker and Standard. Gracie was entered on Saturday in Gamblers.

The day started with Jumpers. After the last trial, Mum tried to be more sure of where she was going to be, where she would do a front or blind cross, etc., so that my lines would be nice and she would be out of my way (as that was a problem last trial). There were some nice turns, some nice straight-a-ways (which I love). We had a nice run and I ended up with a Q and 1st place.

Our next run was Snooker. I remember this one well, as the oddest thing happened. We did three sevens (seven was a two jump and tunnel combo). But for some reason one of our reds wasn't counted and we ended up with 37 points. No other dogs in the small group qualified, so we got another SQ. What the DOG?! Ok, this is getting a little too ironic at this point (as I got a SQ on my first PIII Snooker run a few weeks ago, after struggling for years to get those 2 SQ's in championship).

We headed home and did a few things around the cabin and got to bed early as Saturday was going to be a very long day.

We got there very early and my first run was Snooker again. This one was going to be long, so Mum thought it would be a good op to test out our timing. 6 was a tunnel jump combo, 5 was a tunnel jump combo, 7 a teeter and the other numbers were jumps. We planned four reds with a 6, a 7 and 2 5's, starting with the jump in the lower left, which would give us 54 points if we made it all the way through.


I wasn't running as fast as the previous runs and two of the jumps ended up being figure 8's (like you do sometimes at practice jumps?), so the entire run took more time than we thought. I made it through the final six, but didn't get the last seven (a teeter) for 47 points. And I was just about to put my foot on that dang teeter too. Oh well, it was fun and good enough for a SQ and 1st place.

OMD! Do you know what that means? I already in two trials and four Snooker runs have my 3 SQ's for my PDCH (if we decide I want to go for that title). Now we really talking situational irony, wouldn't you say?

The next run was Gamblers, and we were looking forward to it. I love gambles, they allow me to be independent!

The gamble was  a parallel jump on the line, coming back in a bit to the left to the tunnel entrance, which headed out to the frame and then a jump beyond. Mum knew I had a good chance at this as I love my frame, I do, I do!

We gathered up points on the dogwalk twice, got in a teeter and the tire, some other jumps and then headed into the gamble, and bam I got it! How fun was that! Another Q and a 2nd place with 44 points.

Next up was Standard. Nothing extra difficult and we ended up with another 1st and Q.

You know what that means? Yes, I went 5 for 5 with 4 1st places and 1 second place. Wow! That hasn't happened since I was a youngster. What fun!

Gracie did very well too! Mum didn't enter her in anything except Gamblers this weekend, as she got a little freaked out at the last trial in Standard with that doggone teeter. So Mum decided to make Gracie's Gamblers run uber fun and it was. It was so fun to see Gracie run with abandon, fun, fast and furious, and still gather her self up and get the gamble for a second place and a Q. What a good Girlie!

Team YoYo and Gracie went 6 for 6!

Sadly our next trial and only trial the rest of the year is last of August/first of September. Mum has been thinking about doing a little AKC with us again, just to keep a little more fine tuned since there are fewer USDAA trial near us this year.

Later!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Gracie found a Wolf Spider: Dangerous but not lethal!

Not too long ago, just a few days before Gracie had that run in with the Copperhead Snake, Mum saw Gracie pawing at something on the ground.

She didn't think too much of it because Gracie finds these huge beetles sometimes and behaves exactly the same way. But being were we live with lots of 'dangerous' stuff, Mum thought she better go and check it out.

When Mum got up close, she saw that Gracie was pawing at a huge, huge spider! It's really difficult to tell how large it is in the photo, but it was just at 3" from tip of the leg to tip of leg. The biggest spider Mum has ever seen in her life!

Of course she got Gracie away, not knowing yet if it was a dangerous spider. Then she took a photo, took us inside and got on the interwebs to investigate.

Turns out it's a Wolf Spider, listed 9th on the list of The 10 Most Dangerous Spiders in the World. (A word of caution, this link contains some graphic photos of people with spider bites).


Wolf Spiders like the woods, and they like to spend their time in wood piles, leaf litter, anywhere their food source may be. Although it's the Wolf Spider is poisonous, its venom is not lethal. 

These spiders don't build webs to capture their pray, they are ground spiders, or as some call hunting spiders, as they hunt for food on the ground. They can climb and swim. Despite their name, they are solitary creatures, unlike Wolves who live in packs. 

They eat ground based insects and other spiders. With eight eyes they have excellent vision to watch for their prey. They wait and then 'hunt' them down, scurrying along the ground. They even have great night vision, and some say that if you shine a flashlight at them at night, their eyes shine back at you like a cat's.

Wolf Spiders aren't initially aggressive, but will bite if they feel they are in danger. They move very quickly, but this one was caught immediately by our fence (you can see the grid of the fence in the photo). So it was trapped. Mum was very glad she got there when she did to get Gracie away and avoid a nasty bite.

So not only do we have the Brown Recluse Spider, but we now have to watch out for these buggars. But good to get to know them and whatever danger they pose.

They say for this type of bite, you should immediately pack it with ice to reduce swelling. Then keep the patient calm so as to keep the spread the venom at it's most minimum throughout the body while transporting immediate to the emergency vet. The most dangerous is if your dog (or human) is allergic, so it's best to immediate seek a vet and wait it out for a few hours. 

Mum is sure glad she didn't know all this when she was taking care of it, she would have been all stressed out like the day of the Copperhead!

Friday, June 13, 2014

My USDAA and AKC title pin box!


Yep, that's it, the latest version of my title pin box (with USDAA and AKC) after achieving my ADCH.

Seems complete now.

Oh wait? Maybe Mum will have to start one for my PACH and PDCH. What do you think?

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Indian Trail Trees!

See this tree? Neat huh?

What we didn't know when we first moved here, and learned thereafter, is that this is a very special tree.


There are 1,000's of these types of trees reported all over North Georgia and Arkansas, with some even reported in Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and all over the eastern United States.

"There developed a custom of marking trails through the forests by bending saplings and securing them in such positions that their directions of bend indicated the directions of the routes to be followed. A line of similarly bent trees thus established a continuous uninterrupted route of travel which could readily be followed. 
After being bent, the young trees were fastened by one of several methods. Sometimes the trees were weighted down with a rock, sometimes a pile of dirt was used, and often the tree was tied in position with a length of rawhide, a strip of bark, or a tough vine. The various methods used in each case were dependent largely upon the custom and ingenuity of the individual performing the work, and the materials at hand."
There are reports that Native American elders from numerous tribes have confirmed their ancestors bent the trees. Other interviews have been done with descendants of early pioneers who also passed down parts of the story. The Trail Tree Project is an attempt to determine if these atypical looking trees are a part of a vast trail marked by Native Americans.

One of our neighbors here on the mountain stopped by not too long ago and told us that there were two more trees on our mountain up here, one next to his cabin and one up further on the ridge.

Very interesting!!! What do you think?

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Giveaway: Tackling blow coat season with #PetHairSolutions from FURminator!

It's that time of year, yep, it's blow coat season!

Even our indoor kitties are experiencing heavier amounts of shedding this time of year. Combine that with all the sticks, dirt, little pebbles, leaves and more that Gracie and I bring into the cabin, you've got a good idea of what happens to low hanging tummies of older neutered kitties....yep, mats!

That's why we turn to FURminator pet hair solutions to tackle the extra fur and mats that accumulate on Wolfie and Wiggy.

And they really don't mind a good comb out with the FURminator deshedding tool, it keeps them from getting a hairball, it keeps them a little cooler in the summer months, and keeps the fur flying to a minimum too!

A little action with the FURminator and they are happy little campers at our cabin in the mountains. Using the FURminator shedding solutions products helps reduce shedding up to 90 percent, cool huh?

One of you, one of our lucky readers, can win your choice of FURminator deShedding solutions products! All you have to do is follow the instructions in the widget below to enter to win! We'll announce the winner in a future blog post, or you can check back here in the comments.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And while you are at it, feel free to follow FURminator and learn more through their links:

www.furminator.com
www.facebook.com/FURminator
@furminator_inc
www.pinterest.com/furminator/

This post is sponsored by FURminator. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about FURminator, but you know that Johann The Dog only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. FURminator is not responsible for the content of this article.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

In honor of Adopt-a-Cat month....I salute my adopted kittie bros Wolfie and Wiggy!


Happy Adopt-a-Cat month Wolfie and Wiggy (aka Wolfgang and Ludwig)! 

They are now 19 and 18 years old respectively. Here's what they spend most of their time doing now...


Love my kittie bros!

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Hiking Tallulah Gorge!

Back in April, we went on a day long hiking trip with our pal Rocco Havanese and his Mum from To Dog With Love.

We got to see two beautiful sites, get in some exercise, some socialization and time away from work and the cabin.

We started out early in the AM and met up with Rocco and his Mum in Dahlonega. We piled into one car and started the drive to our first stop Tallulah Gorge State Park.

Our goal was to hike a little and see some of the amazing falls in the area. We have hikes around our cabin, and other trails around here, where we see green, green and more green; so we enjoy these days where we can take some destination hikes!

Here's a little about the place....

The Tallulah Gorge is a 2 mile long gorge that is formed by the Tallulah River cutting through the Tallulah Dome rock formation. It features lots of rocky cliffs up to 1,000 feet high, and several falls collectively known as Tallulah Falls and individually called l'Eau d'Or, Tempesta, Hurricane (the tallest at 96 feet), Oceana, the smooth "sliding rock" at Bridal Veil and Lovers Leap.

All of these are connected through trails, swinging bridges, a little drive around the gorge and more trails. We stayed on the North Rim.

We started at the Visitors Center (dogs are not allowed) and had to sneak behind the building to get to the trail that leads to the falls. As we walked we noticed this sign that indicates that the trail system here is named after Helen Dortch Longstreet, an early environmentalist. (Click to enlarge and read more).


She would be proud that the path we were on saved hundreds of tires from ending up in landfills.


We explored...and hiked a few small trails, but were anxious to see the grand falls everyone was talking about!


After a little hiking we finally made it to an outcrop where we had a nice view of the falls. These are the first falls we saw - Tempesta Falls! Gorgeous Gorge!


The obligatory photo of me in front of the falls, BOL!


We headed down another trail and came across some crime scene tape! OMD! What is that all about. (That's Gracie, crime scene dog extraordinaire on the case!) Seems that this is where you can get a permit and then do some heavy duty rock climbing with all the appropriate gear, and this tape may have been there to keep us out since we didn't have one of those doggone permits.


We walked down further and saw this view of the Gorge from the other way, wow, just wow!


And very, very interesting....at this site is where the World's famous Karl Wallenda walked across the Gorge way back in July of 1970 with over 30,000 people watching. During the walk he even did two handstands at 65 years old!


There he is back in the day making his walk across.

Photo Credit (AP Photo/Charles Kelly)via PJStar.com
You can even still see the big apparatus he used to hold his big wire tightrope. It's toppled over now, but you can see one of the pylons and the steel structure to the left overturned.


In this photo you can see the other side from where he walked. That's a fur piece!

Here is the top of the pylon, see that scooped thing in the middle (up and down)? That's where the big tightrope wire was stabilized at the top of the structure. And you can also see the big tightrope wire. So cool!



We finally headed back to the car after exploring and drove to our next hiking area where we were headed deep into the Chattahoochee Forest to see the Minnehaha Falls. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Human success from a dog's point of view!

Today is the Dog Agility Blog Action Day focusing on 'Success,' and we are participating!

We haven't participated recently, because Mum became a little ambivalent about agility for a while.

Why the ambivalence? Mum had a goal and we weren't achieving it; at least it was taking a long, long while.

That goal was getting that last SuperQ for our ADCH. She really wanted it and we were coming in 2nd place a lot and in our class where we often had to win with combined heights.

It started Mum thinking about that goal, was it worth it to keep going?

She's not one to give up on a goal that she's set for herself. Needless to say she went through a lot of introspection.

We will never forget the one question our trainer asked us when we attended our first private agility class back in Indiana. She asked, 'what are your goals?' At that time Mum was just starting agility, with me, her first dog ever her entire life, and had absolutely no clue about what the possibilities were. Do you know what she said? She said, 'to go as far as YoYo takes us.' What she meant was, she was in it for me, for us, to have fun, to be together, to give me a job (I needed one, busy pup I was) and to do things together that we enjoyed, and then go as far as that will take us, whatever it turns out to be.

I think for a human it's important to have goals. It makes you get up in the morning, grab that cup of coffee and dig in to the tasks at hand to reach your goals. Mum being a marketing consultant and talking with her clients every day, throughout the day, she stresses the need for them to have goals. She believes that it's the only way to achieve the success they are seeking.

One thing I've learned over the years is that humans that have goals have more direction. They go through ups and downs as they process through those goals, and once they reach those goals are pretty doggone fun to be around. They get excited, they celebrate their successful reach of that goal, and often times dogs get the benefit of that celebration with a nice hike, a fun play time, a long walk, treats and more! We get to celebrate right along with our humans and I like that.

So back to the ADCH goal. It was nearing one year entering Snooker in any USDAA trial within driving distance from the time I got my second SQ. And it was one year between my first one and my second. Mum was getting tired, a bit frustrated at herself, worried that maybe I should retire (which I did a couple times within those three years). She asked herself a lot of questions. Was I still having fun? Did I feel OK after years of injuries taking their toll? Was she having fun?

She would go through these ups and downs just like any normal human being would. But Mum is a hopeful sort. She's a never-give-upper. It's one of the many things I love about her. She may get down, but she always bounces back, and quickly I may add. And when she's ready to let go of the down...her attitude changes, she's more fun, and that makes me more eager, ready, willing and able to be right there with her in whatever comes next.

And I? During our adventure to reach our goal, I had good runs and not so good runs. Good days and bad days of running. Being nearly 10 years old it was to be expected. But what she saw in me was my ability to try, to always be willing to give it another go, always do my very best, and many times more than not feeling great and ready to run my heart out!

So we persevered.

Then the day came. It was a good day, we both felt great. Mum was just happy to be running me and I with her. The stars aligned with a combination of me feeling great, Mum eager to run with me, a Snooker course that fit us like glue, and lots of Snooker experience gained over the years. At first we didn't think we got it, but it was such a super fun, fast, 'we were in total sync' kind of run that we didn't even care. Mum knew right then and there that the goal was in reach. So we took a fun celebratory walk around the grounds.

What happened next? We found out we got that last SQ with that very run. And I had gotten the most points of all the dogs in the championship level. Oh the sweet smell of success! The goal had been reached more successfully than we had ever imagined.

We have relished that moment for months, we still are and believe we will for a lifetime. It was one of those runs you will never, ever forget.

Now that I'm in PIII in USDAA, we are experiencing much of the success I had in championship level when I was younger. It's fun to get blue ribbons again, it's fun to go 5 for 5 for the weekend (I don't run a lot of runs in a day anymore). The only goal Mum has for us now is to run for however long I am able and want to, and to have a lot of fun doing it. And we are, we are loving my 'retirement' phase.

Goals change over time, some are reached and some are modified. There are different goals for different people. Some folks want to have fun and bond more with their dog, some want to win gold at a world championship (and everything in between). We think all of those goals are great!

While these other folks may have different goals and other measures of success, their goals don't matter to us. We celebrate with them through their challenges, struggles and ultimate successes as they work toward and reach their goals, and support them when they need to modify and rethink them.

Whatever your goal and your measure of success is yours, and yours alone. It doesn't matter what other people think, say or do...your goal, whatever it may be with your dog, belongs to you. You are the one that knows your dog, you are the one that knows what you want and can potentially achieve, you are the one that processes through your goal to achieve the success you desire. It's yours and no one else's.

We are so glad that we hung in there to reach our goal, because the successful completion of that goal will stay with us for a lifetime. It's one of those big wow moments of our life together.

So, we say go for it! Whatever your goal and ultimate success may be, I'm certain that your dog will be right there beside you ready, willing, eager and able; through the ups and through the downs. And the best part is that you get to celebrate your successes together, remember and cherish them forever.

For those of you who are visiting my blog for the first time, I'm Johann, the dog, a 10-year-old rescue and accomplished agility dog. My Mum, Leslie May, is my agility handler and trainer, pet business marketing consultant, co-host of my other blog Raise A Green Dog, best friend, constant companion, and has my heart through and through.

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

My first agility trial running in performance class in USDAA!

What does a dog do after he gets his ADCH title in USDAA? Why, he moves to PIII (Performance Level) of course.

On our journey to get that last Super Q for our ADCH, Mum thought often about giving it up and moving me to performance. For a nearly 10 year old dog, sometimes I showed what years of injuries can do to a dog.

But she never gave up on me and saw that I still had moments of greatness in me (yes, I said greatness, because sometimes, well I do!). And that last snooker run for our ADCH was the most memorable, fast, fun run of my life. The very best way to end a championship level career.

I still love to run agility. As a matter of fact, Mum sees that I become quite a little pill if I don't get in some agility. No I don't run three weekends out of the year like I did when I was younger and not injured. But I still like my three runs a day, maybe every other month or so.

So we entered our first agility trial back in April, and Mum entered me in PIII. The neat thing is that she entered me in three runs a day for two days. Oh yeah! I was ready willing and able.

The second neat part is that instead of just running snooker, I got to run other events too that I don't believe I've run in maybe oh, 5-6 years? Yep that's right...I got to run standard and jumpers which I haven't run since 2008 and Gamblers which I haven't run since 2012 when I got that last one for the ADCH.

So we were in for some fun!

Patti and Stuart Mah were at the trial and we had a nice little discussion about how the standard and jumpers courses have changed over the years. It just so happened that my first run was jumpers, which I hadn't seen much of a change for this course (or the standard course) as compared to courses from back in 2008. That's not to say that we won't see some newer challenges coming up, I'm sure. Looking forward to finding out.

My first run, jumpers, was fun. Mum seemed a bit discombobulated, however, and she did a few front crosses and got in my way. (She's a little rusty on those FC's) We missed the line and I missed a jump, but it was fun, and pretty fast, and a good way to start the weekend.

Our next run was snooker. We've done a lot of those over the years, but there are a couple of changes moving me to PIII. The first change is that I have more time (about 2 extra seconds for this run) and since I'm jumping 12" now, I could be faster. But Mum planned out a good course that would give us 50 points, which we thought would be a good fit for me, I should make it through, and we'd have a good shot at a SQ.

We started with the red at the right bottom, did a 6, left bottom red, 5, top right red, 4, top left red, 4 and then the close.
Well, what do you know it was another super good snooker run for me. Even Stuart came up and told us what a good run it was! He also said, 'you know you had a lot of time left, don't you?' Ha!!! Well turned out we got that SQ, 50 points in 42.86 seconds and had 8.14 seconds left. Hmmm....guess Mum is going to have to rethink our timing, huh?

Later it was time for standard. Mum and I were looking forward to this too. We didn't see much difference from the courses we experienced back years ago. But again, we expect to!

It was a fun little course. And I have to say it was fun having all the challenges of all the obstacles thrown at me again. I like versatility. I made my running frame and dogwalk, even did a good immediate down on the lowered table (which Mum expected to have to handle a little after my fly off at practice with the lowered table). We got a Q with nearly 10 seconds left. Not to shabby.

Day 1 went really well, and we thought it a bit ironic that I got another SQ. Hmmm....

Day 2 I was entered in gamblers, snooker and pairs. Wow, I haven't run pairs in almost 6 years!

We started with gamblers and I have to say I'm a little bit rusty with my discriminations, so no Q for us although I was moving fast in the opening and racking up lots of points.

Next run was another snooker. Here's a little secret. I think Mum likes snooker despite what she'll tell you when you ask her. Ha! Busted! I think Mum was unsure of herself with this one. We got to work on some nice backside sends, but the rest of it was just a bit of a mess. So another NQ.

Our last run of the weekend was pairs. We used to have a system with pairs back in the day. If I ran second I was always a lot faster, as those other dogs running would ramp me up. But our partner was adamant they wanted to go second. So off we went.

I was doing well on a very interesting first four jumps. If I remember right the course started with four jumps all basically in a line, end to end. Lots of folks were baffled about how to handle it, but being a smaller dog, Mum knew she could just stay on one side and treat it as a straight line even though some in the line were front jumps, some backsides. And it worked perfectly (as it did for a few large dogs as well). But Mum got in a late front cross later in the run. I missed my line and went into the tunnel before the jump I needed to take. So another NQ.

I have to tell you...despite the fact that we only got a couple of Q's, Mum and I had a ton of fun. It was very interesting to see how I would handle jumping 12" vs jumping 16". Mum was a bit concerned I would need some jump training, but after a couple of runs I was doing very well. Not barely over the bars, but not four inches over them either.

Mum talked a bit with Stuart if I would need jump training after jumping 16" for almost 9 years. And he said probably not,I'm a smart one and I figure things out quickly. He said give me a little time and I'll get the hang of it.

Next up? Our next trial in May! Stay tuned...

Monday, June 02, 2014

The rare and beautiful Polyphemus Moth!

We've had another rare sighting here on our Mountain this year!

You may remember that we shared with you two Luna Moths that we found this year, one of them just a day or so old and in pristine condition!

A week or so ago, we found another rarity, a  Polyphemus Moth and of course Mum went crazy with the camera!

The Polyphemus Moth can be found nearly all over the US, except in the desert states and throughout Canada as well.

Like the Luna Moth they are large in size. This one was about 4-5" long, although we didn't get to see it open so we don't know it's wing span.

Also like the Luna Moth, the Polyphemus Moth has a very short life span, and that's why it's so difficult to spot them and considered somewhat rare.

As adults they live a maximum of only 4 days. Their entire life cycle averages about 3 months from eggs to larvae to pupa and then through adult. Again, like the Luna Moth the caterpillar is green, round and fat, but Polyphemus Moths have single horizontal lines along each side of the body, Luna Moths have vertical yellow lines on each segment. Cool huh?

Polyphemus Moths are named because of the large eyespots on their wings; named named after the Greek myth of the Cyclops, Polyphemus.


Additional photo credit
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