The Brief, Beautiful Life of a Luna Moth

Posted on by Cheryl Capaldo Traylor

 

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     It’s hot here in North Carolina. July hot. Do you remember that I am not a summer person? I’m doing a fair bit of hibernating, mostly from social media. I’m still getting out on my walks, but I’m keeping busy with some writing projects. Alas, I’m a little behind on my blog reading (and writing!). I’ve admitted in other posts that I’m not a good multitasker, and therefore I focus on what needs to be worked on now. Articles have a deadline, so they take priority. I’ll catch up with everything else soon.

     I came upon this Luna Moth (Actias luna) recently on one of my woodswalks. Prior to this, I kept finding only parts of these luminous creatures: wings, one wing with body, pieces of wings, only body. I wondered what was happening to the Luna moths. I thought it may be pesticides or lawn fertilizers, so I did some research and found that these beauties do not feed as adult moths. Therefore, they only live about a week. Seeing so many pieces of the whole is a good sign, I guess. It’s rare for me to see evidence of so many in a few short weeks. That means their numbers are up in my area, and not dwindling like some of my other favorites have-–honeybees and Monarch butterflies. (But, here I am being overly optimistic as climate change, pesticides, and herbicides are all contributing to the overall decline of our planet’s health, including all her inhabitants. We can and must do better.)

     Sighting one of these large lime-green moths always makes me happy. Maybe it’s the symbolism of hope, transformation, emergence, growth, and potential that makes me appreciate their existence so much. Or maybe it’s just knowing that for one week, this beautiful being is on this earth and I might be fortunate enough to see her. I hope future generations are fortunate enough to see her descendants, as well.

 Have a peaceful Sunday. Get outside. Enjoy the view. Take in the beauty of our shared Home.

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final-23Luna Moth, aka American Moon Moth, various views. Taken with a NikonS7000, July 2017.

 

13 thoughts on “The Brief, Beautiful Life of a Luna Moth”

  2. Interesting perspective. It’s all a matter of where you are. We endure the winters here to have the beauty and reprieve of summer…although 2017 has been challenging at best. Surely, Mother Nature is letting us know she is not pleased with what we have been doing to her planet.

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    1. I grew up in an area with a lot of snowfall spanning many months, so I certainly understand welcoming summer. It was a cooler time, then, or so it seems. I think here in North Carolina, it is the extreme humidity that adds to the uncomfortable summer temps. But, I do love it here. 🙂

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  5. I relate to the hot temperatures you’re experiencing. It’s not that hot here in Seattle, but when I lived in Madrid for nearly a decade, I would find myself indoors much more than I wanted to. I would go for walks and run first thing in the morning, before the heat really arrived. Beautiful photos!

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    1. Thanks! The Luna moth is so special to me. I’m going to hang in there, because summer will soon fade into autumn. I guess summer is the price we have to pay here in the South to have the other three seasons which are beautiful and pleasant.

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