Luna Moth on Barn Door
May 27, 2019 14:57:40 #
Size: 3-1/2" wing span, body 3-3/4" long. Some can get to a 4-1/2" wing span!
This is a rare sighting for me. The luna moth is a member of the giant silk moth (saturnids) family, including cercopia, polythemus, and promethea moth. I suspect this is a moth who has served its purpose and soon will be bird food or lying on the ground, as they only live 10 days after mating. It is not considered an endangered or threatened species yet. In Michigan and northward they are a one-generation species. To the south they are a two-generation species and their cocoons winter over.
This is a rare sighting for me. The luna moth is a member of the giant silk moth (saturnids) family, including cercopia, polythemus, and promethea moth. I suspect this is a moth who has served its purpose and soon will be bird food or lying on the ground, as they only live 10 days after mating. It is not considered an endangered or threatened species yet. In Michigan and northward they are a one-generation species. To the south they are a two-generation species and their cocoons winter over.
May 27, 2019 15:02:44 #
May 27, 2019 19:04:06 #
May 27, 2019 20:21:04 #
May 27, 2019 21:57:38 #
May 27, 2019 22:03:27 #
harrier47 wrote:
Wonderful colors.
Thanks! This moth caught my eye from 20 feet away. It is quite a striking specimen and stayed there at eye level all afternoon for me.
May 27, 2019 22:04:40 #
kpmac wrote:
Beautiful in the download.
Thanks! This one may go on the wall.
May 28, 2019 02:22:53 #
May 28, 2019 07:32:37 #
May 28, 2019 08:04:45 #
Jun 2, 2019 15:17:29 #
Jun 2, 2019 19:08:36 #
topcat wrote:
Nice capture. I like the colors.
Thanks, Topcat. He, alas, has disappeared after 5 days of staying attached there even while the door was opened and closed, even through several rainstorms.
Jun 2, 2019 19:16:28 #
BlueMorel wrote:
Size: 3-1/2" wing span, body 3-3/4" lon... (show quote)
You could have kept it as a pin specimen. It was a male, and they mate in the first day or two after eclosing. If not, probably never will. This one does not look as if it mated. Too pristine, no rub marks.They are truly a beautiful moth. One of the easiest to rear thru successive generations.
Bill
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