Luna Moth

Actias luna

Luna Moth

Actias luna

Harmless

Not dangerous

Harmless. No sting, and no mouthparts to bite with — the adult cannot eat at all. It is one of the safest large animals you will ever find on your door frame.

SizeWingspan 75–105 mm

MarkingsPale sea-green wings, unlike any other large moth in North America · Long curving tails trailing from the hindwings

WhereDeciduous hardwood forest and wooded suburbs. Adults come to lights, which is where most people see one.

SeasonOne brood in the north, May–July; three broods in the south, March–September

How to tell it apart

Pale sea-green wings, unlike any other large moth in North America
Long curving tails trailing from the hindwings
A translucent eyespot on each of the four wings
Outer wing edge pink or brown in the southern spring brood, yellow otherwise
Furry white body and feathery antennae

Where you’ll find it

Eastern North America. It does not occur in the west, so a large green moth with tails on the Pacific coast is something else.

Deciduous hardwood forest and wooded suburbs. Adults come to lights, which is where most people see one.

One brood in the north, May–July; three broods in the south, March–September.

How it behaves

The adult lives about a week and never feeds. It spends the day resting under a leaf or on a trunk with the wings closed over its back, and flies after dark. The cocoon is spun in a wrapped leaf that falls with the leaves in autumn and overwinters in the litter on the ground — which is why raking and burning leaves removes more moths than anything else a garden does.

You’ve found one indoors

Admire it and leave it alone. It does not need feeding and it is not sick — a luna moth that dies within days of you finding it was always going to. If it is resting somewhere exposed during the day, it is not in trouble; that is simply what they do until dusk.

Common questions

How long do luna moths live?

About a week as an adult. They emerge with no mouthparts and no way to feed, mate, lay eggs and die. Most of the animal's life is spent as a caterpillar and a pupa.

Are luna moths rare?

Not rare, but easily missed. They fly only at night, live about a week, and are found across eastern North America. Losing leaf litter and outdoor lighting at night both make them harder to find than they used to be.

Do luna moths bite or sting?

Neither. There is no sting and no functioning mouth.

What do the caterpillars eat?

Walnuts, hickories, pecan, persimmon, sweet gum, sumacs and white birch. They are fussier than a cecropia caterpillar but still use a good range of native hardwoods.

Why are the tails so long?

They are a defence rather than decoration — the trailing, spinning tails are what a predator strikes at first, and a moth can fly with a damaged tail far more easily than with a damaged body.

Commonly confused with

Polyphemus Moth Harmless
Cecropia Moth Harmless

Keep identifying

Identify another animal from a photo or return to the Moths guide.

Previous: Hummingbird Moth · Next: Polyphemus Moth

Where this was checked

BugGuide — Actias luna (Luna Moth, Hodges#7758) checked 2026-07-30
Missouri Department of Conservation — Luna Moth checked 2026-07-30

Last reviewed 2026-07-30. We identify, we don’t diagnose — what we can and can’t tell you.