A Bump in the Night

text and photo : Norma A. Hubbard  (August 2015)
One of the wonderful things about living in the country is the dark nights. When we turn off the lights, it is dark – sometimes so dark it can be a bit scary – so it is not surprising that late one night a few years ago, I got a bit spooked when something went “bump in the night”. There were no outdoor lights on and limited lights on inside, yet it was enough to draw something to my door. I turned on the outdoor light and I peered out the window. Nothing. Then bam, a huge moth hit the light! I quickly turned off all the lights, grabbed a flashlight and went out. All I could find was part of a wing.

The piece was the tail end of a wing, ever so delicate and a bright lime green colour; it was enough for me to identify it as a Luna Moth (Actias luna). I had never seen one of these moths before and I was disappointed that all I had was a piece of a wing. While it might seem to some that it was just a moth, a Luna Moth is quite impressive in size with a wing span of 7.5 to 10.5 cm (that’s almost 5 inches); and the size is not even the really impressive part of this sighting – it is the sighting itself since these moths only live for about seven days as an adult! (It would be two years later that I briefly saw another one, during the day, and managed to snap a few pictures.)

During May into July, adult Luna Moths spend their one precious week mating; they don’t even have mouths to eat. Usually mating takes place after midnight with the females releasing chemicals to attract the males. The life cycle is similar to that of other moths and butterflies with eggs being laid on plant leaves. Eggs are often found under walnut leaves. In about a week to 10 days, the eggs hatch into caterpillars. Caterpillars will molt and grow for several weeks, then use dry leaves and silk to make cocoons. In our area, cocoons can be found near trees, such as white birch, hickories, walnuts, and sumacs.

The wings, as with many moths and butterflies, have the eyespots to help scare away predictors; although National Geographic states there are new studies that show the eyespots do not mimic eyes, but are still a deterrent.

Also according to Science Magazine, Luna Moths’ long swallow tail wings are not just beautiful, but practical as protection against bats. Apparently, the moths fool the bats with movement of the wing tail and ‘sacrifice’ this part of the wing, thus avoiding the bat attacking the body of the moth.

Mostly likely due to moonlight sightings, Luna Moths are often mistakenly called Lunar Moths and they are also known as American Moon Moths. Conservation is not a concern; however it is always better for our night creatures to have darkness, so turn off outdoor lights at night when not in use. Let’s enjoy the luxury of dark nights and just remember this Scottish Prayer:

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

Sources:
www.butterfliesandmoths.org/
www.news.sciencemag.org
www.news.nationalgeographic.com
www.fcps.edu