rss Luna Moth
Location: Texas
March 9, 2011
Hi Daniel!
We found another Luna Moth just now. I am curious how many of these moths are in the SE TX area. Enjoy the pic!
Amanda
Luna Moth
Hi Amanda,
We do not believe there are any Luna Moth census studies that can provide you with population numbers. Thusfar this year, our only reports of Luna Moths have been from Texas. Perhaps conditions were right this year for a surge in numbers.
Luna Moth
Location: Vidor, TX
March 4, 2011 5:09 pm
I wanted to send in my picture of the Luna Moth. My kiddos found this guy playing in our back yard this afternoon! I knew I could count on your website to tell me what kind of moth this was! Keep up the great work!!!
Signature: Amanda
Luna Moth
Dear Amanda,
Thank you so much for providing a photo of your Luna Moth for the appreciation of our readership. We wonder how soon this harbinger of spring will begin appearing in more northern locations.
crazy looking bug
ILocation: Vidor, TX
March 2, 2011 11:03 am
This bug was on my front door this morning. It flew and had legs. Never seen something like this. Would like to know if its harmful or not.
Signature: Sincerely, Miranda
Luna Moth
Hi Miranda,
This is our Bug of the Month, the Luna Moth. Thusfar, this year, our only sightings have been from Texas.
Luna Moth – Huffman, TX
Luna Moth
Luna Moth – Huffman, TX
Location: Huffman, TX
February 28, 2011 9:49 am
Good morning! When I arrived at our warehouse this morning, there were a few dozen of these moths on the north exterior wall. Our warehouse is located in Huffman, TX, which is on the Northeast side of the greater Houston metro area. After searching, they appear to be Luna Moths, but I have never seen them before. We have had relatively dry weather as of late, and these pictures were taken around 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 28th. They also appear to be quite lethargic. Are they spawning now?
Signature: Thad Fehlis
Luna Moth
Dear Thad,
We are very excited about your email for several different reasons. First, we want to congratulate you on what must be a spectacular sight. We imagine much of our readership as well as our editorial staff are quite envious that you witnessed dozens of Luna Moths at one time. Since it is time for us to select a Bug of the Month for March, we cannot think of a more fitting candidate than the Luna Moth, even though it has received the honor of being Bug of the Month once before, nearly four years ago in April 2007. Luna Moth sightings typically begin in February in the southernmost reaches of their range in Florida, and as spring progresses, sightings appear in the more northern climes, generally peaking in May for Maine and Canada. Luna Moth adults do not feed and they have a very short lifespan. Adults mate and lay eggs and quickly die, so if you have swarming Luna Moths, they must be spawning. Thanks for getting our day off to a wonderful start.
Luna Moth
Daniel,
Thank you for the quick response. As I’m sending you this email, two more of them just landed on my window. Having grown up in Austin, TX, I had the good fortune of seeing the annual Monarch butterfly migration. It’s quite a sight to see thousands of Monarchs together. Here in Houston, the Natural Science Museum has a butterfly exhibit, which allows you to see the cocoon hatchery as well as an enormous walk through controlled environment where several species of butterfly and moth fly all around you.
Do you have a good source where I can find out what other “rare” species of moth are in this area? We have also seen some interesting moths in the College Station are which, at first glance, we thought were hummingbirds. Do you happen to know what these might be? They moved very quickly, and were about the same size as the Luna.
Hi again Thad,
Though our category states that the Luna Moth is a rare species, that is not entirely true. Some local populations, like yours, are apparently quite plentiful, though in other parts of their range, Luna Moths are quite rare. The other moths you describe are probably Sphinx Moths in the family Sphingidae. You can try to identify the species you saw on the Sphingidae of Texas webpage.
Long tail Skipper, maybe?
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
July 25, 2010 11:55 am
My wife and I found this on our stairs last night. This thing is about 5 inches across and it didn’t seem to mind being photographed. The photo was taken at around 2:45am on July 25th 2010. It was still pretty warm out. Thanks!
D. Ruffin
Luna Moth
Dear D.,
Though the Long Tailed Skipper has extensions on the hind wings similar to your insect, your Luna Moth is a much larger insect. Additionally, Skippers do not fly at night, unlike the Luna Moth, arguably North America’s most distinctive looking moth.
Dear Daniel,
Thanks for the speedy response! We were amazed when we saw this insect and were anxious to know what it was. I’ve never head of the Luna Moth, but there was a full moon out last night; any correlation to that? Thanks again, you guys are great!
Damon
Hi Damon,
We are not certain if Luna Moth flights are in synchronicity with the moon, but we like the idea. Perhaps one of our readers knows of a study.
Luna moth top and underside
July 8, 2010
Found this moth today on a small cedar tree directly underneath a black walnut–between my back yard and a parking lot!
Amy
Philadelphia, PA
Luna Moth
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for sending us your breathtakingly beautiful images of your Luna Moth.
Luna Moth
Lunar Bug??
June 10, 2010
I got this picture from my niece and I came on to see if it was a Lunar Bug but you had no information for it. So I thought I would send you the picture. This was taken in Maine.
Take care Carol
Maine
Luna Moth
Hi Carol,
Your Lunar Bug is a Luna Moth. Each year we like to document the first Luna Moth sighting we get from Maine as an indication of what is happening with the weather. We generally get the first Luna Moth images of the year in February from Florida.
Letter from Tiffany
June 11, 2010
Luna Moth in WI
Hi,
I want to thank you for your wonderful website! I have been looking at your pictures of Luna Moths for years and was SO excited when I finally saw one here in Wisconsin last week! It was the most beautiful insect I have ever seen and I knew exactly what it was, thanks to you!!
Tiffany
We are envious Tiffany. Despite growing up in Ohio, we have never seen a living Luna Moth in the wild, and now that we are in California, there is not much chance. Next week we will be in Ohio for a week, and we hope we are lucky enough to see a Luna Moth.
What is this big intensely colored moth?
May 27, 2010
My father-in-law sent me this picture today with the following note: “On the lower garage door trim this morning was this large moth. The trim is 4 5/8″ wide so you can see how large it is. Quite a sight. Jean tried to find it in her insect book but no luck.”
Any thoughts? It is a beauty.
John Argentiero
Duluth, MN
Luna Moth
Hi John,
This is a Luna Moth, arguably the loveliest North American moth. Each year, we like to chart the progress of the Luna Moth emergances from the northern climes. Usually our first sightings are from Florida in February, and by late March, we get reports from Maine. We believe this is the first report we have ever received from Minnesota.
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