Emily Chan
People are always interested in attracting more butterflies to their gardens, but no one really considers trying to draw in moths.
Moths have a reputation for being dull in color and eating up your sweaters, so it makes sense why you wouldn’t want them around.
But there are plenty of magnificent moths that would be a delight to see in your garden. Take the luna moth, for instance. The nocturnal luna moth has stunning characteristics, the most notable being its gorgeous, translucent green wings and large eyespots.
Luna moths used to be way more common, and while they are technically not an endangered species, pollution has dwindled their numbers.
If you don’t want to go an entire lifetime without seeing one, here’s how to turn your garden into a suitable environment for them.
As caterpillars, they like to feed on the leaves of certain trees. So consider planting one of these trees: American chestnut, black cherry, black walnut, hickory, paper birch, persimmon, red maple, sweetgum, white oak, and willow. Some flowers they like are honeysuckle, moonflower, gardenias, and jasmine.
To protect themselves from predators during the caterpillar stage, they will rear up their heads and make a clicking noise with their mandibles. Then, they will release a repulsive fluid. They have many predators, such as bats, owls, and rodents.
Luna moths usually don’t stray very far from where they were hatched since they don’t want to waste valuable energy flying long distances. Once the moths mate with each other, female luna moths will lay about 200 eggs at a time upon a leaf.
Avoid using pesticides around your garden, including any natural alternatives, such as neem oil. The ingredients in these products can be harmful to luna moths.
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