Tuesday, June 28, 2005


One morning during our vacation in Vermont, one of these was on our patio screen. Isn't it beautiful? It's about four inches across. It's a Luna moth. It looks just like leaves with dewdrops. Unfortunately, although they aren't yet endangered, their population is decreasing rapidly. See, they find each other by glowing in the moonlight, and with all the artificial light from lamp posts, parking lot lights and other outdoor security lights as well as the glow from windows, they're being led astray. How sad. I feel very lucky to have seen one and shown it to my children. It was just so beautiful. The picture doesn't do it justice. Gypsy moths and Tent Caterpillar moths, on the other hand, should be fed to each other.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've only seen a Luna once, but it was gorgeous. And I very much like your suggestion about the caterpillars. I knew a guy who had a t-shirt that said "stomp the chomp" with a picture of a gypsy moth caterpillar on it.

Ladycape

Rima said...

Eeeew. What grosses me out so much about them is that when you step on them, green goo comes out. BLEAH! I'M FREAKING MYSELF OUT!

xDaveManx said...

Those things are really common here in the Appalachians. Never gave them a second thought really. It's pretty common to find them stuck to your door, wall, car, or sleeping dog in the mornings. I agree that they are beautiful, though.

Jered Widmer said...

Always thought Luna Moths and Praying Mantis' were really cool... growing up in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania, I would see them a lot.