Luna moth (Actias luna)! 🌙

Hello,

U.S., where it is warm for much of the year, luna moths can have 2-3 generations annually. Caterpillars that pupate during the summer emerge as winged adults in 2 weeks. Things are different for individuals that pupate late in the fall, or populations that live up north where the summer is shorter. To avoid emerging into the cold of winter, the pupae delay their development by entering a special state called diapause’.

Diapause is similar to hibernation in that it allows animals to endure periods of unfavorable conditions, but the two are physiologically distinct. Hibernation occurs in warm-blooded animals, and involves a significant decrease in their body temperature and activity. Diapause is not associated with changes in body temperature. It is simply a period of suspended development, like hitting the pause button on an organism’s life cycle.

Thanks to diapause, luna moths can remain as pupae for up to 9 months! When the weather warms up again, development resumes and the winged adults can emerge in all their glory. Tragically, regardless of their pupation time, the beautiful adult moths live for only a week!