Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I always wanted to spot a Luna Moth (Actias luna) and I finally saw one under the overhand by the back porch. This one was about 3.5" long and very beautiful.

These guys only live about a week as adults. I guess they are fairly common & wide spread in north eastern US & Canada , but their short adult lifespan and nocturnal habits make them harder to spot.

Very cool & beautiful & I was jazzed to finally see one!

Enjoy.
Alan

Nice picture I have only ever seen two of these in the wild. One was alive, the other stuck on the grill of my parent's truck.

I find their caterpillars far more than the moth...though with such a short lifespan, understandably why. Though I don't think they are all that high in population, despite their large range. I see alot more tent caterpillar moths and they live only 24 hours. Interestingly enough, these look very much like silkworm moths..a little smaller but not much..with some black markings on the head which the silkworm moths lack. But both have the same brownish color and overall shape.
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PHLdyPayne

Not a beautiful Ball but a Beautiful(moth)Butterfly.. It got me thinking of how wonderful these things really are in nature, the snakes and the butterflies. I took a trip to South Central Mexico a couple of years ago and made the trek into one of the few mountain areas where the Monarch Butterflies migrate to in the Winter from all over the US and Canada. I stared in amazement and awe at the site of 250 million Monarch Butterfies gathered together in a 4 acre area at the perfect altitude and on a specific type of tree that they use to breed on in the Winter. They fly back North in the spring, lay their eggs on Milkweed plants and then they die after that long journey. Such short lives they have but it sounds like a much longer lifespan than the Luna Moth has. Wish I had a couple of my pictures available to download like you did. They are so thick that you can hear them in the air and the Evergreens they use to roost on are nothing but orange and black. You cant even see the trees. Dont know if you have ever had the chance to capture a Monarch caterpiller and see the cocoon they spin but that is equally as awe inspiring. Thanks for the great picture. Jay
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JEM from sunny AZ.

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very nice, thanks for sharing.
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www.royalvariations.com

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David Coverdale

I love these! I always get excited when I find one. They are so beautiful.
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We went on vactation 2 weeks ago and found 2 of these guys within 20 feet of each other. This is the only one we took a picture of though...

pretty, always liked them too...
retired Biology teacher and amateur entemologist Ted Frey used to breed them and tells me that the wild ones have longer tails than captive born ones...*(he does not know why) ...just a ditty of info to know.....

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Very cool, I think the big moths are very special critters. I've only ever found 1 Luna myself, it was at Degrey Lake in Arkansas.