Luna moth
Actias luna (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Hindwings have long curving tails. Wings are pale green, each with a transparent eyespot. Outer margins are pink in the southern spring brood, yellow in the southern summer brood and in northern populations.
Wing Span: 2 15/16 - 4 1/8 inches (7.5 - 10.5 cm).
Life History: Adults are very strong fliers and are attracted to lights. Mating takes place after midnight, and egg-laying begins that evening. Females lay eggs in small groups or singly on both surfaces of host plant leaves. The eggs hatch in about one week and the caterpillars are sedentary and solitary feeders. Leaves and silk are used to spin papery brown cocoons in litter under the host plant.
Flight: One brood from May-July in the north, two to three broods from March-September in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: A variety of trees including white birch (Betula papyrifera), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), hickories (Carya), walnuts (Juglans), and sumacs (Rhus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous hardwood forests.
Range: Common. Nova Scotia west to Saskatchewan and eastern North Dakota; south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Taxonomy Notes: This moth is often mistakenly referred to as the Lunar Moth, instead of the Luna Moth. It is also sometimes referred to as the American Moon Moth.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 73 - 96 of 3311 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 10, 2023
Submitted by: hwohlers
Region: Hamilton County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: hwohlers
Region: Hamilton County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 03, 2023
Submitted by: retirednuke
Region: Morgan County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2023
Submitted by: davek
Region: Cape May County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 13, 2023
Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: Jackdaws1979
Region: Orleans County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 13, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2023
Submitted by: WiliestLibrarian
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 05, 2023
Observation date: Jul 04, 2023
Submitted by: Lise7997
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 05, 2023
Observation date: May 30, 2023
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 02, 2023
Observation date: Jun 28, 2023
Submitted by: Lookin' for Leps
Region: Lake County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 30, 2023
Observation date: Jun 03, 2023
Submitted by: Spudfish
Region: Texas, Williamson County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 22, 2023
Observation date: Jun 18, 2023
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 18, 2023
Observation date: Jun 06, 2023
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 17, 2023
Observation date: Jun 08, 2023
Submitted by: comradeghost
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2023
Observation date: Jun 07, 2023
Submitted by: Sometimes
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 07, 2023
Observation date: May 24, 2023
Submitted by: Val89
Region: Schoharie County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 07, 2023
Observation date: Jun 05, 2023
Submitted by: dliddane
Region: Granville County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 05, 2023
Observation date: May 30, 2023
Submitted by: bknupp
Region: Page County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 31, 2023
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: thalasinos18
Region: Columbia County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: May 31, 2023
Observation date: May 30, 2023
Submitted by: ActiasLunaTn
Region: Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 30, 2023
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: JMJaskula
Region: Newton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 28, 2023
Observation date: May 25, 2023
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 28, 2023
Observation date: May 28, 2023
Submitted by: Critter-watcher
Region: Warren County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 28, 2023
Observation date: May 25, 2023
Submitted by: wrightdestiny26
Region: Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 25, 2023
Observation date: Apr 18, 2023
Submitted by: stiernan
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 12, 2023
- ‹ previous
- 4 of 138
- next ›