Luna moth sighting one of life's special moments

Luna moths live a week to 10 days as an adult. (Norman Winter/TNS)
Luna moths live a week to 10 days as an adult. (Norman Winter/TNS)

Last year was a banner year for me in that I saw three Luna moths at my house. Let's just say I am a seasoned horticulturist and wannabe naturalist and probably have seen far less than a dozen in my life.

Most don't realize the Luna moth is one of the giant silkworm species. To get ready for the pupae or cocoon stage the caterpillar spins a silk yarn wrapped in a leaf where it will undergo the final transformation to adulthood which takes two to three weeks.

The Luna moth adult has no mouth parts or digestive system as they only have one job and that is to mate, and the clock is ticking.

Female Luna moths release a pheromone that will attract males from quite a distance. While the female remains stationary the male journey to find her is a treacherous one that is filled with predators like owls and bats. Once the lovefest has occurred, she will not mate again. She will search out larval food sources like birch, oak, hickory, sweetgum, willows, and walnuts where she will lay eggs 4 to 7 at a time but totaling in the range of 400 to 600.

Linnaeus named the moth Actias luna referencing Luna the Roman Goddess of the Moon. You have to love the family name too, Saturniidae.

Upcoming Events