Luna Moth Facts

•  Moths are nocturnal (active at night).

•  Moth larvae love to eat hickory and walnut leaves.

•  Male and female moths mate at night, for about four hours.

•  The moth caterpillar changes its exoskeleton five times before it is fully grown.

•  Adult Luna Moths have no mouth—they eat nothing.

•  Luna Moths are also called Moon Moths.

•  Luna moths go through complete metamorphosis. They begin as an egg, hatch as a caterpillar, become a cocoon and emerge as a winged moth.

•  A female Luna moth can lay as many as 200 eggs in one week as a moth.

•  Luna moth eggs are deposited on deciduous trees like hickory, sweet gum and walnut.

•  The Luna moth caterpillar makes a brown cocoon and looks like it is wrapped in leaves.

•  Luna moths overwinter inside the cocoon.

•  Female Luna moths release pheromones from the tip of her abdomen that attract male Luna moths from great distances.

•  The antennae of male Luna moths detect the pheromones emitted by the female and follow them to find the female.

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