Subject: Deformed Luna Moth?
Geographic location of the bug: High Springs, Fl.
Date: 09/21/2017
Time: 07:05 PM EDT
I’m still not sure what I was seeing here but it looks to me like a Luna moth that didn’t enclose completely. It was crawling but obviously couldn’t fly. It kept falling over weeds and flipping onto It’s back so I put it on my oak tree and it energetically crawled far up the trunk.
How you want your letter signed: Elizabeth C.
Dear Elizabeth,
This is a newly eclosed male Luna Moth, but we do not believe it is deformed. Metamorphosis is a process that takes time. After the adult Luna Moth emerges from the cocoon, it might take several hours for the wings to expand fully and harden. We suspect your individual eventually flew away to mate. Because of your kindness, you may have helped this guy survive, so we are tagging your submission with the Bug Humanitarian Award.