An Incredible Moth

May 11, 2025

I see one perhaps once a year. A Luna Moth (Actias luna) with a wingspan of 3 to 4.5 inches, a beautiful pale green color, and a simple pattern on a sophisticated shape. This one is in mighty good shape. Some years, the one that I happen to see looks a bit battleworn.

As adults Luna moths live about 7 to 10 days. During that time they don’t eat, relying on stored fat from their caterpillar days. Their aim at this stage in life is to focus on reproduction.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Published by

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.

2 thoughts on “An Incredible Moth”

  1. Beautiful Clem, I love to see them too. But not for a few years. Maybe this year.

  2. Hi Bren. We saw a Luna Moth just last week. They are so beautiful! It’s my favorite moth and I’ve only seen it one other time. Once again, it seems like your posts match up with my sightings up here in the northeast Georgia mountains! Thanks for all you do. I enjoy your posts so much!

Comments are closed.