Luna Moths

[luna]

I feel like such a proud mom... after a summer of rearing luna moths, I just released the adults a few moments ago. I figured out the picture thing a few days ago so I will post some of their photos after they all take off... I'm going back outside to watch them.

Cheri

 

[luna]

I had put a few of my females into paper bags after I thought they were mated in hopes of gathering eggs to start the process over again.

They were good girls, so tonight, I let them go!

 

[luna]

This is the inside of the bag. Not the clearest of shots but the little brown spots are all eggs.

 

[Canfire]

Thats awsome how many eggs?

 

[zinto]

VERY cool!! I envy you! I've never been fortunate enough to see a wild luna moth...but it's on my list! Congratulations!

 

[luna]

After leaving the bag, one landed on a shutter on my house...

I have lots of eggs... but I don't know if they will all hatch. They mated with their siblings... didn't manage to call in any other wild ones. Hoping for the best. This batch of eggs will procduce caterpillars that will make cocoons that overwinter.

 

[luna]

This one I'm tempted to stick back into her paper bag... after she was released, she flew to my kitchen window and has been there ever since... just noticed she is laying eggs on my screen.

 

[luna]

This is a picture I took before I put one of the girls into a bag... they really earned their keep (you can't imagine how much sweetgum a dozen of these can eat) this summer. They were the inspiration for me getting a new camera and working on learning how to use it from the time they were about 3rd instar caterpillars. I've taken hundreds of pictures of them developing since the beginning of July.

 

[Dark]

Very Nice pictures... I remember a While ago I bought many different cacoons from saturniid moths.. Lunar moths definatly one of the top coolest I had.

Just managed to dig up a few pictures of some of the moths I kept,
Here are two pictures (sorry for bad quality)

* made sure I didn't touch wings for fear of dust falling off in first pic*

 

[luna]

Awesome Cecropia... (at least thats what it would be if it looked like that and was flying in my neighborhood) I love the large silkmoths! Wish we still saw more of them. I sort of have a dream to repopulate my neighborhood! Trying to grow more host plants on my tiny suburban lot. Someday, I may be that crazy old moth lady!!!

 

[Bearo]

Wow :}
Really nice, do you have a closeup of the "eyes" on the wings?
Do you want to send some to Sweden? hehe

The shape almost looks like a sad elephant, but the markings are great

 

[bugmankeith]

Wow great pictures! All I have seen by me are polyphemus moths.

 

[luna]

I thought I was crazy when I saw the "elephant" in some of the photos!

I would be terrified to ship overseas... I'm very whimpy. I am worried about these eggs... much darker than I am used too they are very dark brown. they just don't seem right.

Polyphemus are another beauty I've had in the past. I also had one Citheronia regalis “Hickory Horned Devil” caterpillar this summer too... give me a bit and I'll post a picture of that one.

Bugman... aren't you in NY? I'm in PA and have found all mention here at one time.

 

[luna]

This was my Hickory horned devil on the first day I got my camera...

This was about two weeks after it hatched from the egg. I was given the egg by the same person who gave me the lunas.

 

[luna]

Five days later, this is how much it had grown!

 

[luna]

 

[bugmankeith]

Luna, I live on Long Island,NY By me there isnt much "wild" areas left, moslty empty lots and grass...we have more maple trees than oak too. I've never seen a luna moth here, when I went upstate NY though to my cousins house, I saw luna moths,locusts,skunks,toads, it's so different up there from here.

I want to move to a place with more wildlife, theres not much to see here out of the ordinary.

 

[CustomNature]

Hey Luna, just wondering if you got my PM I sent you a couple of days ago?