An Early Sighting

An afternoon trekking through the woods in a favorite spot in western Albemarle County. Woods, yes, but so very different than the woods here on my mountain in Greene County. And quite the surprise, I happened upon an adult Luna Moth (Actias luna). I’ve never seen one so early.

Its color surprised me too. Leaning more toward yellow than I’m used to seeing. Usually I would describe the color as a pale lime green. On the Internet I found one site that mentioned males leaning toward yellow, and this fellow is a male. See those feather-like antennae? That means this one is a male.

These moths are not around long as adults since they are not equipped with a mouth or a digestive system. Their only purpose at this stage in their life is to reproduce, living perhaps a week.

One short life. It’s no wonder that they are seldom seen. Not around long and nocturnal. My normal sightings per year: just one.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

One thought on “An Early Sighting”

  1. Beautiful! I love these moths and they are my favorite. I’m hoping to see one this year. I’ve only seen one and that was about 5 years ago at a small campground between Hiawassee and Helen Georgia. We stopped by there on Saturday and saw lots of Trillum cuneatum. So pretty. Such a nice picture of the Luna. Thank you!

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