The Luna Moth (Actias Luna)
By Ximena Cibils, Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University
Lepidopterans (Butterflies and Moths) are a symbol of harmony and beauty in our natural world. Since ancient times, people have been attracted to their colorful patterns, their graceful behavior and their extremely complex life cycle.
Moths and butterflies can be found all over the world having evolved almost 75 million years ago. There are approximately 140,000 different species of moths worldwide each having many different color patterns, shapes and sizes.
Actias Luna, commonly known as the ‘Luna Moth’, is native to North America and being part of the Saturniidae family, this Moth is in the same family as the Giant Silkworms and Royal Moths.
The Luna Moth is considered one of the largest and most interesting moth species in North America. They usually make their home in woodlands and in urban areas where their host plants (the caterpillar’s feeding plants) are found. The Luna Moth’s host plants include: Sweet gum (Liquidambar), Walnut (Jutland), Birch (Betula), Alder (Alnus), Persimmon (Diospyros), Hickory (Carya and Annamocarya), and Sumac (Rhus). Some of these host plants are more suitable to the moth’s life cycle. Work conducted in the butterfly lab at Reiman Gardens suggests that Luna Moths using Sweet Gum as their host plant did better than the other host plants tested.
A complete life cycle of a moth includes the egg, larvae (five different instars), pupa and adult stages. The Luna Moth may have one or more generations per year, depending on the temperature of the area.
In Iowa, Luna Moths are bivoltine, consisting of two generations (two complete life cycles) per year and is completely temperature dependent. During Iowa’s winter, from late October to early April, it enters a dormancy state as a cocoon. The cocoon is a silken coating spun around the larva. Sometimes they use leaves to wrap up in, as well. After the cocoon is ready, the caterpillar of the Luna Moth will molt (shed its skin) one last time. This creates a pupa that will be encased by the cocoon. When the temperature rises, the adult moth emerges from the cocoon, typically between May and August.
The adult stage of the Luna Moth’s life cycle lasts approximately one week and its focus during this stage is reproduction. An adult female moth can lay approximately 100-300 eggs in her life, usually placing them on the leaves of their host plants. As adults, Luna Moths do not eat because they lack functional mouth parts and are only active at night.
To identify the Luna Moth look for the following:
- Distinctive wing shape, with two eyes spots on each forewing.
- Long sweeping hindwing tail
- Yellow, green to pale green variations in color
- Males have a strongly feathered antennae. This characteristic plays an important role in reproduction.
- Females release pheromones, chemical compounds that are specific for each species, while male moths perceive these pheromones by these specific antennae characteristics.
The natural world is always full of surprises, and right now, Luna Moths can be found in Iowa at night. So be observant and you could find one in your backyard.
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