Luna Moth

[wolverine]

saw this on our front porch and had to look it up.  never seen one before...

[Spacebus]

saw this on our front porch and had to look it up.  never seen one before...

They are nocturnal and only in adult phase for 7-10 days, which makes them hard to find for most people. Plus a female will spend her entire life, from egg to mating, in the same tree. In their adult phase luna moths don't eat and die shortly after mating. The individual you have found looks like a male judging by the rough shape of the wings. He probably flew quite a ways to find a female, who will not leave her tree and release pheromones so males can find her.

I always think a luna moth sighting is very special. If you are lucky enough to find one during the day, it will most likely sit very still and may even allow you to pick it up. As a child I learned about death through the luna moth. One was captured in a jar and given to me when I was about six years old. It was an amazing specimen and the person who gave it to me told me it would die. Not really understanding why, I thought maybe I could keep it alive. I found out the hard way that the person was right.

[Blowpipe Sam]

You will also see Regal moths in your area.  They are as large as the Lunas but a dark velvety red/brown color.

[Novagun]

I can't tell how big that Luna moth is but it is certainly a beauty of nature. I am trying to find a word for it;  nothing doing at the moment but it will come to me in the small hours .
Don't worry I will not wake you up to tell you .

[Sqrl Klr]

Saw a huge one at my place years ago and was tripping out too. Pretty critters!

[cjtamu]

Beautiful. We generally see a couple a year. We’re fortunate to live in the migration pathway for several species including Monarchs and hummingbirds. And I’m fortunate to have a wife who takes these things seriously. She cultivates plants the Monarchs and hummingbirds like, and I assume the Luna moths like some of it too. She also has what I call her butterfly jail, in which she hatches butterflies and keeps them safe from predators. I’ll have to take some pics to post up.