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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