Luna Moth Adoptions

Event Summary

**Anyone on the waitlist from this event will get an email when we have more eggs available**

It's silk moth season again! We have a small number of luna moth eggs currently available for adoption.

Eggs can be picked up from the Conservation Education Center in Kent Park on:

  Friday May 8th between 3pm-4pm

  Saturday May 9th between 12pm-3pm

Luna moth caterpillars will eat the leaves of walnut, hickory, or willow species. Adopters will get a detailed care sheet when they pick up their eggs, but should be prepared to provide the above food for them. All of our moths thrive best when raised outdoors directly on the branch of their preferred food source. This can be done with a mesh bag tied over the branch like these from raisingbutterflies.org: https://store.raisingbutterflies.org/product-p/sleeveblack10w20l.htm

However, luna moths can be reared successfully (and with a little more effort) indoors on cut plants when using a mesh/well ventilated cage.

These eggs will hatch sometime around May 11th, so you have a little time to figure out your set-up. We will likely have more eggs available as the season goes on, so if you don't get any from this first batch, keep checking our page.

Additional Care Info:

Luna Moth Food: walnut, hickory (others that are less common in Iowa) Instructions: Never place eggs together with foodplant leaves in a closed container. Larvae need humidity when young and these leaves wilt easily. Rear larvae on leaves atop a moist paper towel in a closed plastic container until they are about an inch long, then provide more ventilation or sleeve them outdoors in an organza bag pulled over a branch. Avoid disturbing a larva that is not eating or travelling – it may be preparing to molt (1-2 days) – instead, move what it is standing on. When mature, the larva will void its gut and search for a place to spin its thin silken cocoon. Make sure that the emerging adult has places it can climb to so that it can expand its wings. Spring eggs: adult moths in 40-50 days. Release moths in the evening, after it is dark, after up to 12 hours of drying (the moths will need to dry their wings before flying).

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