A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Is this a luna moth?

I took this up at Wasaga Beach where we rented a cottage since last Sunday . . . there were two of these beauties on a towel I'd hung on our door overnight . . .

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Luna's are BIG AND GREEN!!!

I'll see if the BUGLADY has
a picture for you to see one!!!!

that is a mayfly.

here is a luna moth

Mayfly hatches mean SPECTACULAR fishing.

I have photos of a mayfly hatch and I could not breath there were so many... it was like a snow storm.

Hey Buglady, I am glad to meet you! Gardening is a secondary Interest to me. I am retired now so devote most of my spare time to studying and photographing birds, or else I'm on the computer. Many people know me as Birdman, or in German, Der Vogelmann. I am not German I just speak it as a second language and have a lot of internet friends in Germany and other countries. I am finding that to understand birds completely you HAVE to know all you can about plants, insects, and other animals. That is why I joined this site. It is one of the best I have found so far.

yes.. i like it here too. wish i had more time to spend answering questions. . Most of my bug buddies are bird watchers... they seem to go hand in hand.

Thanks interesting about the German. i work with an historical society and the house we meet at in from early German settlers here in PA. I am learning more about German gardening and am putting in a German period (1850) garden at the house.

Thanks all - I wondered about that 'cause I had never heard of luna moths being this far north.

May fly - I'll remember that.

They were pretty little things about the size of my pinkie counting the tail.

those are good sized ones.. they are usually smaller. When taking photos for ID its best if you can put a coin in it for scale.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Well they were hanging on the towel which was hanging vertically. But if I'd thought of that I would have just laid it out flat - I think they were sleeping, so they wouldn't have moved.

A coin? A quarter, maybe. Not as wide though. The body is about half inch long, the wings about 3/4 inch, I guess and the tail an inch, I'd say.

Very interesting looking bugs. I've never seen them before.

Strangely enough there were pictures just like mine on the Environment Canada station - maybe they have something to do with the weather.

I should have known it wasn't the luna moth - I remember I had Barbara Kingsolver's book Prodigal Summer and there were pictures of luna moths inside it.

Guess I just didn't remember it - or maybe it was because I've always wanted to see them and it was just wishful thinking.

I have only seen ONE in my entire life time..

I was little, probably 10 or 12??
And we watched that thing, for like ever!!!
It was just so beautiful and majestic!!!!

Yeah, when I was reading the book, I found myself looking at the inside cover a lot - I loved looking at it.

We've had quite a few butterflies this summer - I suppose there were moths out there by the light at night but I haven't noticed.

I love the Monarchs that come in late August - I do wish I could get some good pictures of these critters but the most I get is when they land.