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I have never seen a Luna Moth before, however the other
day an adult female landed on my picture window and visited with me
overnight.
This
magnificent insect spent the night on my window and in the morning, it
flew up into my silver maple tree.
The Luna is a giant silk moth that is considered an endangered species. I suppose the natural habitat has been disturbed due to pollution, pesticides, and the cutting down of trees.
Here is a postcard that I created from the photograph I took of Luna Moth
I remember learning about the Luna moth in science class when I was in high school and occasionally I would view one on the television, I really did not know much about the insect so my husband went to the library and brought home a book and together we learned more about this moth.
Note:
- The life cycle of the Luna moth begins when they mate and the female will lay her eggs on the backside of the black walnut leaf. She will lay approximately 200 eggs. It takes 10 to 13 days for the eggs to hatch.
- The adult Luna moths purpose in life is to mate and lay eggs. As an adult these moths do not eat or drink, as they do not have a mouth. The life span of an adult Luna moth is seven days.
- My yard is a wildlife habitat and I am sure that is what attracted the Luna moth. I have mature black walnut, hickory, sweet gum, sugar maple, oak, and persimmon trees. These are the trees that produce the leaves that the moth caterpillar eats.
- If you want to attract the Luna moth to your yard then plant these trees in your yard and grow a natural habitat.
It's been so long since I've seen a Luna - I miss their lovely, languid fluttering. Even when disturbed, they never seem to get in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteLove the post! Thought I
ReplyDeleted let you know about a typo though... "Most people view this magnificent incest in a book" just sayin! :) Anyways, I've seen several here in Jacksonville and they're as pretty as any butterfly.
I enjoyed your post. It makes me smile to read of butterflies and trees when it is snowing outside!
ReplyDeleteWOW - that is really awesome. I've always wanted to see one "in real life". Perhaps I can find someplace to visit where I can see them - but living in the desert here growing that grove of trees would be a real water consuming activity. when I do finally have a place to garden, I am going to try and work with native plants or plants that can cope with minimal water.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a long time since I saw a Luna Moth in a natural forest setting. Now is when I look for them I hope that my sighting will not be a one time experience.
ReplyDeletewe had a luna moth once on the front porch - so beautiful! i garden ORGANIC, never use pesticides or even weednfeed, don't cut down dead trees, leave a lot of undergrowth, plant native species & put up birdhouses. as a result, we have fireflies & butterflies & birds & wildlife.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in the country, there were a lot of them around, but they are non-existent where I live now. I miss them and the cecropia moths.
ReplyDelete