Lunacy

This beautiful Luna moth (Actias luna) was in our back yard last week. With the sun backlighting it, you can see the overlapping of both pair of wings.

Luna moths are strictly North American critters, but they are found in a broad area that excludes the Northwest U.S. and northwest Canada and most of Mexico. Even with this wide geographical area, seeing one is always a treat and unusual. They live only one week as adults. I wonder if this one lived to see the floods from Fay or if its eggs were affected by the rains. Adult Lunas do not eat or, for that matter, have mouths. In cold climates, only one generation is produced a year. Here, there is likely to be three. The female will lay between 100 and 300 eggs. No wonder they die within days!