Luna moth
Actias luna
Moth
Large pale-green giant silk moth (Saturniidae) with long curved hindwing tails and a wingspan of roughly 8-11 cm. Larvae are broadleaf-tree feeders whose primary hosts include hickory and walnut (Juglandaceae), paper birch, sweetgum, and American persimmon, with regional preference shifting from birch in the north to persimmon and sweetgum in the south. Adults have vestigial mouthparts, do not feed, and live only about a week, so the moth's entire dependence on the garden is through its caterpillars and the native host trees they require.
Conservation
NatureServe global rank Secure (G5); no IUCN Red List or USFWS listing. Documented localized threats include light pollution disrupting nocturnal mating and parasitism by introduced tachinid flies; planting native host trees and reducing outdoor lighting are the standard support actions.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 10
Carya is a documented larval host for the luna moth (Actias luna), one of the keystone hickory-feeding silk moths.
Birches are a well-documented larval host for the luna moth.
Range
Eastern North America east of the Great Plains, from Florida north to Maine and from Saskatchewan eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia. One generation per year (univoltine) from the northern U.S. and Canada, two in the mid-Atlantic, and three (trivoltine) in the south, where adults can appear nearly year-round in Florida and Louisiana.