There's no doubt that butterflies are beloved, but very often moths are overlooked as "boring", or worse, feared as destructive. So often, this couldn't be further from the truth - many moths are bigger, fancier, and arguably more beautiful than half the butterflies in the garden. In evidence of that, we present to you perhaps the most recognizable moth in America: Actias luna, the Luna Moth.
Luna moths are a lovely pale green with brown or magenta markings, eyespots, and legs. Their most prominent feature are their long trailing tails, which are curled and delicate. Their wingspan can be as much as 5 inches, and their large fuzzy bodies are yellow-green striped with hot pink. Like other moths, gender can be distinguished by the size of the antennae. Females have thin antennae like those shown above, while males' antennae are much larger and more feathery, the better to detect pheromones when seeking a mate.
Luna moths are members of a genus known as the Asian-American Moon moths (Actias). Other species, like the Indian Moon Moth (Actias selene) have an even larger wingspan, while Actias isis has tails that stretch as long as 5 inches. Actias moths are part of the silkworm family (Saturniidae), which also contains moths like the Polyphemus (Antheraea polyphemus) and Io (Automeris io). Lunas are found in the Eastern U.S. and Canada, and are not as uncommon as many people think. They are active for only a few hours at night and don't stray far from their host plants, so they are difficult to spot, but their numbers are still strong.
Luna moth adults have a very short life span - they rarely live longer than a week. As adult moths, they do not feed (like other silk moths, they lack mouth parts as adults). Their only purpose is to mate, and for the female, to lay eggs. To increase their chances of finding a mate, luna moths in a specific area emerge roughly at the same time, and hundreds if not thousands of these lovely creatures may be found in the woods on an early summer night if your timing is right. In the far northern part of their range (Michigan and north), they emerge and mate only once a year. In the mid-part of their range, this happens twice a year, and in the Deep South, as many as three times a year.
Females and males climb from their cocoons in the mornings and find a safe spot to dry their wings. Then females often wait in place, as males fly about seeking mating partners. By the next night, females are ready to lay eggs, and generally deposit them on or near their host plants. In the South, host plants for luna moths include sweet gum, persimmion, and hickory; further north, this species prefers white birch. The caterpillars spend at least a month eating before spinning their cocoons.
We have every reason to hope that our luna moths will mate and lay us eggs in the days ahead. If so, we will document the rest of the life cycle here on the blog, so stay tuned! You can also see more photos of these moths on our Facebook page by clicking here.
Repeatedly I am asked which I think the most beautiful of these big night moths. I do not know. All of them are indescribably attractive. Whether a pale green moth with purple markings is lovelier than a light yellow moth with heliotrope decorations; or a tan and brown one with pink lines, is a difficult thing to determine... It may be that on account of its artistically cut and coloured trailers, Luna has a touch of grace above any. (Gene Stratton-Porter, Moths of the Limberlost)
Lovely!
ReplyDelete