I took a trail in the evening on a path that I had never been on before. After going a couple of miles through the woods, the path ended on a busy road. I walked up the road to get back to my starting point. As I hiked, I noticed this alongside the four lane street – a Luna Moth.
Luna Moths are arguably the most beautiful moths of North America. The Luna Moth is also one of the most recognized moths; it is used commercially by the company Lunesta in television commercials. This insect was also featured on a first-class postage stamp in 1987.
Luna Moths are known for their beautiful, pale green wings and their “tails.” Every luna moth also has four eyespots, which are used to scare off predators. They belong to the family Saturniidae, which are the Giant Silkworm Moths.
Males and females are similar in appearance, but the antennae of the males appear more feathery. This nocturnal insect is found in hardwood forests in North America. I decided to move this one further away from the road and into the woods to keep it safe from traffic.