If you ever get lucky enough to find a Polyphemus moth, it will take your breath away.

The false eye spots on the wings are one of the most striking characteristics about these captivating moths, especially the two on the hindwings. They are mesmerizing. Entomologists say these fake eye spots look like owl’s eyes and are designed to ward off predators like mice or birds, who might think twice about attacking the moth.

My next-door neighbor recently found a Polyphemus moth clinging to her wheelbarrow and called me over. When I saw the moth, I was stunned by its sheer size and beauty. These huge insects are big as your hand, with wingspans 4-6 inches across.

We both stood there for a few minutes in awe, realizing that what we were staring at was something very unusual. Then we ran and got our cameras.

Polyphemus moths are named after the mythological, one-eyed cyclops, Polyphemus, and are harmless. They will not bite you. These beautiful moths, including the more recognizable Luna moth, are the largest silk moths in North America. They are found in every state, except Arizona and Nevada. Their scientific name is Antheraea polyphemus.

Do moths like the Polyphemus matter? Yes, they provide food for countless wildlife and help pollinate flowers.

According to Doug Collicut, writer for naturenorth.com, “the life cycle of a giant silk moth is pretty simple: hatch, eat, grow, pupate, emerge, mate, lay eggs, and die,” all in the span of one year.

So, evidently, the Polyphemus moth we discovered was in its next to last stage of its life. That is, once they emerge from their cocoon and dry their wings, they must make every night count. The male and female Polyphemus moths have 1-2 weeks to mate, then die.

How do they find each other in the vast wilderness of nature? It is believed the female emits a sex-attractant pheromone, which is picked up by the male’s super-sensitive feather-like antennae. The females will then mate once and lay their eggs, while the males (poor fellas) have one job: to find as many females as they can and procreate.

Polyphemus caterpillars are no slouch, either. Once they hatch, Polyphemus caterpillars turn into eating machines, growing to the thickness of your pinky finger and almost as long. Then, by end of summer or early fall, they will enclose themselves in a silk cocoon and “manufacture large quantities of glycerol (a sugar-alcohol) to use as a cryoprotectant (antifreeze) and spend the winter in “suspended animation,” able to survive in minus-40 degree temperatures, Collicut said.

Finally, in late spring, these finger-size caterpillars morph into stunning moths, only to begin a new cycle of life.

Bill Hobbs lives in Stonington. He can be reached for comments at whobbs246@gmail.com.