Attract Luna Moth to Your Yard

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. 

The Luna moth had a wingspan of five inches in diameter with transparent pinkish purple and yellow markings. Another notable feature was the antenna they were thick and appear to be feathers. 

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.   

Many people live their entire life without viewing the Luna moth in their natural habitat and I feel very fortunate to view this insect on my picture window.

Here is a postcard that I created from the  photograph I took of Luna Moth
 

Luna Moth Postcard by Susang6
Find more Luna Postcards at Zazzle

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:

1. 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. 
2. 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.
3. 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.  
4. If you want to attract the Luna moth to your yard then plant these trees in your yard and grow a natural habitat.  

Note: If you reside close to a wooded area that has a Luna moth habitat, plan to watch for them at night during late spring and early summer.