- The caterpillar of the luna moth (Actias luna) will rest on a leaf and spin a single-layered cocoon. This papery thin covering will drop as the leaf sheds during fall. From the leaf litter on the ground, the luna moth uses a hooked spine to escape the pupal exoskeleton.
- The Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum) will leave the host tree and form a puffy white cocoon resembling cotton. According to New Mexico State University, caterpillars locate on natural and man-made objects such as tall grass, trees, rocks, vehicles and houses.
- The cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) creates an elongated, crescent-shaped silken cocoon that anchors lengthwise on a tree branch. An outer layer covers the silky inside. The moth stays in the cocoon over the winter and emerges the following summer.
- The polyphemus silkmoth (Antheraea polyphemus) spins a cocoon resembling a fuzzy bag or silken case on a tree. The adult emerges with the help of an excreted enzyme that dissolves a flap in the cocoon and allows it to escape.