The luna moth (Actias luna), also called the American moon moth, is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly named the giant silk moths. The Luna moth is found in North America, from east of the Great Plains in the United States â Florida to Maine, and from Saskatchewan eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada. Based on the climate in which they live, Luna moths produce different numbers of generations per year. In Canada and northern regions of the United States, they are univoltine, meaning one generation per year. Life stages are approximately 10 days as eggs, 6â7 weeks as larvae, 2â3 weeks as pupae, finishing with one week as winged adults appearing in late May or early June. The larvae of Luna moths feed on several different species of broadleaf trees. The larvae do not reach population densities sufficient to cause significant damage to their host trees. Tuskes listed white birch (Betula papyrifera), American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), American sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), plus several species of hickory (Carya), walnut (Juglans) and sumac (Rhus) as host plants for the caterpillars.
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