![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/LunaMothWhiteBodybyGeraldCrooksOnNaturalCrooksDotCom.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Velvet-Winged Night Moths of June<\/h2>\n
When I see Luna Moths, or even their photos, I remember a book my Great-Aunt recommended to me which fortunately came back into print briefly in the 1980s. While not every sentiment in it would meet with approval from today\u2019s readers, when the story describes the wonders of the natural world, it captures some of the magic on paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the miracle of June? What one thing epitomizes the whole month?…It\u2019s June when these great, velvet-winged night moths sweep its moonlit skies, consummating their scheme of creation, and dropping like a bloomed-out flower.\u201d paraphrased from A Girl of the Limberlost<\/em> by Gene Stratton Porter, 1909.<\/p>\n Here you can see the “eyes” on the hind wings.<\/em><\/p>\n The moths themselves don\u2019t eat. According to some sources, they don\u2019t even have mouths. The legs are an interesting wine purple-red.<\/em><\/p>\n In the northern states and in the provinces, Luna Moths only have one generation of adults per year. The mature caterpillars spin a cocoon wrapped within a leaf. According to the University of Florida website<\/strong><\/a>, it is not usually anchored to a twig so when the leaves fall in autumn, the cocoon falls with them.\u00a0 They then stay in this cocoon until the following spring.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nWhat Do Luna Moths Eat?<\/h2>\n
\nThe caterpillars, however, grow large on various trees and shrubs. They aren\u2019t particularly fussy. Some of these include<\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\nWhere Do Luna Moths Over-Winter?<\/h2>\n