Actias luna
Luna Moths are members of
the Saturniidae family, also known as the "Giant Silkworm
Moths." Luna Moths are huge
moths, with a wingspan of four and a half inches. They have
a white body, pinkish legs, and huge pale green wings. The
hindwings have eyespots and long tails. They fly, only at night,
in Spring and early Summer. The female Luna Moth lays
eggs on the bottom of Black Walnut leaves. She lays about
200 eggs in small groups. You can tell a male from
a female, because males have larger, bushier
antennae. William Welch ©a
natural selection Once the eggs are laid,
it takes about 10 days for them to hatch. Caterpillars
begin eating as soon as they leave the egg. They eat leaves from many
different trees and shrubs, including: Sweetgum, American
Beech, Red Maple, hickories, White Oak, Black Cherry,
willows, American Chestnut, and Smooth Sumac.
Mark Moran
The caterpillars will
continue to eat and grow, molting
their skins as they grow. They will do this five times over
a period of three to four weeks. When the caterpillar is
fully grown, it will be 2 1/2 inches long and ready to
become a pupa.
It will spin silk from near its mouth and wrap itself in a
leaf. The caterpillar will usually stay in this
cocoon
for two to three weeks. If it is near winter, the
caterpillar will wait until Spring to hatch. William Welch ©a
natural selection Copyright, Roberta
Gray When the adult
Luna Moth leaves its coccoon, it is not ready to fly. Its
wings are short and stumpy and the insect needs to rest. It
usually hatches in mid-morning and climbs a tree trunk to
hang its wings, so they can fill with blood. Once the wings
are inflated, the adult moth will wait until nightfall to
fly off to find a mate. Adult Luna Moths don't
eat; in fact, they don't even have a mouth. They only live
for about a week, and their only purpose is to
mate.
