![]() Like many insects, the luna moth caterpillar goes through several distinct growth phases. However, the overall population of Luna Moths is small enough that they don’t pose any threat to forests or host trees. When they get larger, they can strip a whole branch of leaves in a day, due to their voracious appetites, so they require substantial room to forage in the wild. Over time they will move on to a solitary life, feeding on the tree leaves of whatever tree species they have come to prefer. While they are young, luna moth caterpillars will often stay close to each other, and will sample several kinds of trees. Just make sure that you offer a species of tree that is plentiful enough to keep up with their enormous appetites. However, when grown in captivity, it is good to provide the young caterpillars with a variety of different tree species to see which they prefer. This is why most people choose to feed sweetgum to luna moth caterpillars when growing them in captivity. It’s best to have a large supply of living hickory trees in order to have enough to feed hungry caterpillars. When growing luna moth caterpillars in captivity, hickory is a difficult food source because the branches wilt quickly when cut. Hickory and sweetgum appear to be good luna moth caterpillar food sources for all regions. Northern luna moth caterpillars frequently live on white birch, while their southern cousins often eat hickory, walnut, or sumac leaves. ![]() However, the caterpillars of one region or habitat will not always live and thrive on the leaves of the tree of another region, even though Luna Moth caterpillars local to that tree species will. Luna moth caterpillars can eat the leaves of a wide variety of trees, including: ![]() Luna moth caterpillars eat the leaves of deciduous trees in the region where they live. While adult luna moths are rare and impressive, luna moth caterpillars are also exceptional little creatures, worth paying attention to themselves. The caterpillars feed voraciously for up to two months, before making a cocoon and pupating. The eggs incubate for 1-2 weeks and then hatch into caterpillars. A female luna moth will lay 400-600 eggs during her short life, in small clutches of 4-6 eggs at a time. Like all moths, luna moths lay eggs on the leaves of trees on which the caterpillars will feed. In the southern part of their range, they tend to be smaller and have wings that are a paler, yellow-green in color. In the southern part of their range, they can reproduce up to three times a year, emerging in springtime and having two or three generations of Luna Moths in a single year. They are largest in the north, and have the most vivid green color. In the northern parts of their range, they produce only once a year, so adult luna moths are only to be seen for a few short nights in the mid-summer, from June through July. They live in deciduous forests, where the luna moth caterpillar feeds on the leaves of trees. The population is greatest in the states of Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Alabama. They range from the south of Canada to the north of Mexico, although they have been seen as far south as Mexico City. Luna moths are native to North America, where they can be found east of the Great Plains, but as far west as Saskatchewan, Canada.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |