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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 145 - 168 of 3311 verified sightings
Observation date: May 18, 2022
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Dade County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 29, 2022
Observation date: May 23, 2022
Submitted by: Brendac
Region: Orange County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: May 23, 2022
Observation date: May 21, 2022
Submitted by: Ldavidson61
Region: Brown County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 21, 2022
Observation date: May 02, 2022
Submitted by: Missy Ivey
Region: Texas, Orange County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 20, 2022
Observation date: Apr 29, 2022
Submitted by: blueracer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: May 17, 2022
Observation date: Sep 11, 2021
Submitted by: lassa8
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 03, 2022
Observation date: May 31, 2021
Submitted by: Bob Saunders
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2021
Submitted by: theliteralvoid
Region: Massac County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 15, 2021
Submitted by: Michael Rush
Region: Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 11, 2022
Observation date: Apr 14, 2021
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 05, 2022
Observation date: Mar 03, 2022
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Mar 03, 2022
Observation date: Jun 01, 2021
Submitted by: AmberMarie19
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2021
Submitted by: AmberMarie19
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 22, 2021
Submitted by: Scotiaspinner
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Feb 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 14, 2019
Submitted by: Saraolivia
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: Lynne Shuttleworth
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 12, 2022
Observation date: Sep 23, 2017
Submitted by: goatlady
Region: St. Francois County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 08, 2022
Observation date: Oct 12, 2019
Submitted by: Ph0t0bug
Region: Louisiana, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2016
Submitted by: sashaburg
Region: Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 02, 2022
Observation date: Sep 02, 2015
Submitted by: Ecelece
Region: Blount County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2018
Submitted by: Chinmom
Region: Forsyth County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 29, 2008
Submitted by: rdhealy1951@aol.com
Region: Hart County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jan 17, 2022
Observation date: Sep 14, 2016
Submitted by: Heather Pickard
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 08, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: Annie25
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 07, 2022
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