Luna Moth
Characteristics: This pale green moth can be found in hardwood forests. They are greatly attracted to lights at night. A member of the Silkmoth family, the larvae of the Luna moth spins a silky cocoon.
Larvae eat birch, sweetgum, hickory and walnut trees. Caterpillars are chubby and pale green.
This species is sensitive to even light pollution, pesticides and parasitic flies. They are only found in North America and wild populations are threatened due to their sensititivity to pesticides and pollutants though they are not listed as endangered by the IUCN or the EPA.
Populations bred in captivity are often used in classrooms to teach about butterfly life cycles and ecology.
General Adult Size (Length):
75mm to 105mm
(2.95in to 4.13in)
Identifying Colors: green; yellow; white; pink; purple
North American reach includes (may not be limited to): Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas
Category: Butterfly or Moth
Common Name: Luna Moth
Scientific Name: (Actias luna)
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Actias
Species: luna
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