faunascope

A big green moth I've never seen

The other day I found this large green moth, about 5 inches long, on my front door.

Have you ever seen one like it? Maybe I don't get out enough, but I never have. Yet when I did some homework on it, it turns out to be relatively common. However, each generation lives for only 7 days, and in New York State, where I live, there are only 2 generations each summer. So perhaps that helps explain why I haven't seen it before.

In my next post I'll identify it for you.

Answer: It's a luna moth

The big green moth I mentioned in my previous post turns out to be a male luna moth.

Turns out that it loves hickory trees, and I happen to have 3 shagbark hickory trees in my front yard.

Another strange fact about luna moths is that they have no mouths! Because they only live in the moth stage for a week, their only goal is to reproduce, not to eat.

For more facts about the luna moth, check out the following video from Totally Buggin.

Or find more info about moths and butterflies at Earth's Birthday.