Green Luna Moths are large and beautiful. Their tails have a slight twist. Burgundy edges this fantastic creature. This is the moth of the Lunesta commercial!
Their wings have beautiful 'eyes'. Scales cover their wings, giving the moths various colors in their eyespots. Both the forewings and hindwings have eye spots.
Sweet Gum leaves are one of the host plants for these moths. The leaves are the same color as these caterpillars. When not eating, they rest on the stems or petioles, with head and feet raised. They have six real legs in front and ten prolegs in back.
When not eating, their six legs are folded together. These particular caterpillars were preparing to molt. Their head capsules were on the tip of their heads and their prolegs were locked into a mat of silk. After about a day, they would crawl out of their old tight skin, remove their head capsule (like a mask), and continue their lives.
I introduced these green caterpillars to Michael and Caden this week. They've seen thousands of caterpillars, but have not noticed the Luna moths. Their position fascinated the boys. The caterpillars were out of food and we added branches of Sweet Gum leaves to the containers where they were being raised.
I asked the boys if they knew what the caterpillars were doing and asked them to look at their legs. They responded with a puzzled "No". I teased them with "They're praying and thanking God for the leaves we're feeding them."
Michael and Caden are familiar with praying and thanking God for their food. But the idea of caterpillars doing the same was quite a new one. They studied the caterpillars closely. At supper, they told Stephen (Papa) about the caterpillars praying and thanking God for the food we brought them. (They knew that I was teasing them and they were now teasing Papa in turn.)
I grew up with a Daddy and Mother who never ate a meal (or let us eat a meal) without first thanking God for it. The idea of eating any meal without giving thanks was a foreign one. Of course, we didn't always stop to give thanks for a bag of candy or a bowl of ice cream. We teased about it sometimes, saying that God knows we're always thankful for dessert!
As I thought of this later, I thought about how I so often take so many blessings for granted, not stopping to thank God for them. Things like being free from asthma and allergies, being able to move about freely and see with my eyes, living in Florida with long summers and (compared to the north) mild winters, and living with modern medicine and a full educational system. Friends; I fail to thank God often enough for friends and the blessings they bring into my life.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Dear Edith,
ReplyDeleteI was researching Luna moths for a presentation on backyard habitats when I found your wonderful comments on thankfulness. Your grandchildren are so lucky to learn thankfulness from an insect larva--who would expect it. I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness you have put into finding verses from the bible that express thankfullness perfectly. Sincerely, Barbara
Barbara, Thank you for commenting. It's encouraging to me! We're blessed to have God speak to us through these fun insects. He has SUCH an imagination! ~Edith
DeleteI just saw my first Luna Moth the other day! And got a photo of it! Here is my "lens" that I put on Squidoo! www.squidoo.com/alunamoth
ReplyDeleteThey are beautful!
Carol Wingert
ps I live in Southwestern PA
Carol, Can you believe I've just seen your comment, four years later??? I love your photos. It wasn't tattered too much, was it? What a beauty! ~Edith
DeleteHow does a green caterpillar transform into a Luna Moth?
ReplyDeletePlease help me! I have a green caterpillar, and it's turning brown...
Frankie Smerichenski
Frankie, I'm so sorry. I just saw this post, 5 years later. As you have learned by now, the caterpillar turns brownish before it makes it cocoon and pupates inside it. Did you take photos of it when it emerged? The caterpillar LITERALLY wriggles out of its skin and what is left is the pupa (inside the cocoon). Inside the pupa, the wings and other adult moth parts finish forming. It then emerges and pumps its wings full of hemolymph and when they dry, it flies. ~Edith
DeleteFrankie,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry - we were out of state and just returned. Before the caterpillar pupates, it turns brownish. It takes several days to pupate, very often. I makes a cocoon after it turns brown and changes into a pupa inside the cocoon. If you would like to email me directly, please email edith@buyabutterfly.com.
Thanks! Edith
i just saw a luna moth out by my front door holding on to the roof of my deck and i thought it was a rare butterfly. i then lightly touch it and it flew to my garden and was holding on to a plant.its body is fuzzy and white but its wings are beautiful and unique.
ReplyDelete-Ahronna White 11 years old
They are so beautiful! I'm glad youwere able to see on, Ahronna.
DeleteThe caterpillar simply wiggles out of its skin and is the pupa. A few weeks later, the adult moth emerges from the pupa. The caterpillar is the child moth, the pupa is like the teenager moth, and the winged one is the adult moth. Here's a link to how a butterfly does it ...http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/rearingpupation.php and cocoon info http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/cocoon.php.
ReplyDeleteSometimes a green caterpillar will turn brown before it changes into a chrysalis. Other times the brown means it is dying. I hope it was changing into a chrysalis!
ReplyDeleteWe have a green caterpiller in the house which has suddenly turned brown over a couple of hours, how do we know if it is dying or is changing into a chrysalis?
ReplyDeleteIt is most likely preparing to change into a pupa. It takes several days. It will make a cocoon and pupate inside the cocoon. Please let us know how it does and we'd love to see photos. You can share on our facebook page shadyoakbutterflyfarm or email edith@buyabutterfly.com. https://www.facebook.com/ShadyOakButterflyFarm
ReplyDeleteDear Edith
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your blog. We are working for Him in a close country in North Africa. we home school our oldest and we found a big caterpillar in the garden... We are interested in keeping it - but I'm not sure we can do it right... I'll appreciate comments and help. Thank you - Jaco - jaco@lourensfamily.co.za
The first thing is to find out the host plant for this caterpillar. If you don't know what it normally eats, try the salad approach! Place it in a container with bits of leaves from plants all over the area where you found it, trees to shrubs to grass. See if it eats any and if it does, feed it more. It may be about to pupate and if so, it won't eat anything. Can you send a photo to edith@shadyoakbutterflyfarm.com? Thanks so much and we also appreciate what you do for Him!
ReplyDeleteHi! I live in dry NM and I found one of these little green guys yesterday. Then today he was on my porch trying to nibble on dead leaves. Also he had turned a shade of brown and kept flipping over. I put him in a container and filled it with grass and leaves, which he seems to be eating a little of. Do you think he's about to turn or about to die? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOnce they begin to turn brown, they are normally through eating. They won't eat grass but will eat leaves of several trees, including Sweet Gum and Persimmon. It will just lay there for three or four days. After three or four days of laying there, it will pupate (wiggle out of its skin). Don't touch it for a day - it will be soft for a short while. You can tear up some paper towels and place in the bottom of the container to give it a better place to pupate. It probably won't emerge until the spring. Be sure to keep it in a humid area as heaters dehydrate the air and dry air can kill it.
ReplyDeleteI always loved the Luna Moth, from the first moment I saw it, sleeping amid the foliage at Cultus Lake, B.C., ca. 1978.
ReplyDeleteMcAllister, We can relate. They are so beautiful! Thanks for writing. ~Edith
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