Luna Moth

The luna moth, Actias luna, is a member of the family Saturniidae, the giant silk moths, renowned for their large size and often spectacular wing patterns. It is found only in North America, ranging across the eastern half of the continent from Canada down into parts of the southeastern United States.

Adult luna moths live only about a week, during which their sole purpose is to find a mate and reproduce; they lack functional mouthparts and do not feed at all as adults. Their ethereal pale green coloring and long tapering hindwing tails have made them a widely recognized and admired symbol of nocturnal insect beauty.

• Large moth with a wingspan of 3 to 4.5 inches, among the biggest moths in North America.
• Pale lime-green wings with a translucent quality and a thin reddish-brown or purplish leading edge on the forewings.
• Long, graceful, twisting tails extending from each hindwing.
• Each wing bears a small, eye-like transparent spot outlined in color.
• Lookalike: the polyphemus moth is similarly large but tan-brown with prominent eyespots and no tails, making the luna moth's green color and tails distinctive.

Restricted to eastern North America, from southern Canada through the eastern and southeastern United States, favoring deciduous forests with host trees like birch, hickory, walnut, and sweetgum. Adults fly at night from late spring through summer, with timing varying by latitude, and are most often seen near outdoor lights.

Adult luna moths have no functional mouthparts and do not feed, living entirely off fat reserves accumulated as caterpillars during their brief one-week adult lifespan. Their primary nighttime activity is locating a mate using pheromone signals detected by their large, feathery antennae. As caterpillars, they feed on the leaves of various deciduous trees, contributing to the food web as prey for birds and other predators.

Luna moths undergo complete metamorphosis. Eggs are laid on host tree leaves and hatch into green caterpillars that feed and molt through five stages over several weeks. Mature caterpillars spin a papery cocoon, often wrapped in a leaf, on the ground among leaf litter; depending on region, the species may produce one to three generations per year, overwintering as a pupa inside its cocoon.