wow Eric thanks for all that information on the luna moth. My book by the National Audubon Society didn't tell that much. Sad to see that the adult only lives about a week. They are so beautiful.

under Luna Moth in my National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American insects and spiders. In my book its on page 770. But newer books could be different. Says September 2000

Yes, I just posted the place I got my information. I did notice while taking pictures that its not moving. Is that still ok??

Even after their wings are fully expanded, they need to hang out for a while so that the veins can harden enough for flight. I'm rearing some out right now in my house (you can purchase cocoons from Carolina biological supply) and this process takes hours.

I went out and showed it to my husband and we watched a bit. He or she does have a purple stripe. We looked closely and its not brown, its purple. You know I have poured through my books many times through the years and the Luna Moth has always been my all time favorite. I can't believe I was lucky enough to finally see one and on my own property.
Yeah for me. I am excited. Thank you for the info about him not moving. so what do you do with it after it is fully ready??Do you release it or do you have some sort of container to have it live in?

I think you are right about that. At first it looked purple to us but now as time goes on, it is more of a brown. Sorry about that confusion on my part.

I am trying to get them to produce eggs (and subsequently caterpillars), so I'm keeping them in a mesh enclosure. I am pretty sure I can't release them here in Louisiana, since they come from a different state. It's unlikely to cause any problems, but the possibility exists of introducing a new pathogen (virus or parasite) into the local population.

Well, I wrote to the Audubon Society and they said it has been erroneously reported to be endangered. So I was glad to hear that. I didn't point out that it was their book that told me that. smile. I checked it around 8pm last night and he was still there. I need to go check it out this morning. thanks for all the info.

I just went outside to check. It is 9:36am and he is still there. He has moved to the next plant and up to the top of the plant. Guess that means he won't be around much longer. I had no idea it would take this long for his wings to get ready.

its 10:25 on the third day and he is still here. I added another picture of him and his mate. That one sure surprised me. Of course I know very little about his life. so perhaps it is no surprise to anyone else that he would be mating so early on. At least I can stop worrying about him not getting strong enough to fly. I suppose he will fly later today??? Does anyone know just how long it usually takes their wings to become complete enough to fly? I would sure love to know.