I Found A Beautiful Luna Moth Under Connecticut’s Strawberry Moon

I got out of my car this morning and saw what I thought was a big leaf on the sidewalk. It was so bright lime-green that it caught my eye. Then it moved, and startled me. It wasn't a leaf, it was a big, beautiful moth, one of the biggest that I've ever seen in Connecticut.

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What I ran into this morning was a Luna Moth, and I think we met at some of the last moments of it's life. It was so weak, barely moving it's wings. I really felt bad that such a beautiful creature would spend it's last moments on a sidewalk in front of a radio station in Brookfield, so I carefully slipped a piece of paper underneath it, and let it go among the green leaves of a nice tree. My good deed of the day.

Luna Moths are one of the largest species of Moths in North America, with a typical wingspan of 4 1/2 inches, but some can reach 8. This is the time of year in Connecticut - late May/early June - that we are lucky enough to experience their one week life as winged adults. Here's a fun fact for you - Why do Luna moths only live for 1 week as adults with wings? They trade their digestive system in for their wings. Luna Moths have no digestive system, and do not eat. Adult Luna Moths survive for a week on the energy stored up from everything they ate while they were caterpillars.

It's also considered to be good luck to see a Luna Moth. I hope that my good deed pays off.