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How to Care for a Luna Caterpillar

With a wingspan of almost 5 inches, the Luna moth is known for its enormous size. They have a white body and pale green wings. Adult female Luna moth, identifiable because of their bushy antennae, lay approximately 200 eggs on the bottom of black walnut leaves. These then become Luna caterpillars after about 10 days. Caring for a Luna caterpillar is not difficult in and of itself. What will be more difficult is finding a Luna caterpillar. Once you have found an Luna caterpillar, you can watch as the caterpillar turns into the exceptional Luna moth with simple care.

Things You'll Need

Glass aquarium
Screen aquarium top
Luna caterpillars
Various plants: sweetgum, American beech, red maple, hickory or willow
Leaves
Floral tubes
Empty, clean spray bottle
Sticks

Instructions

- 1
  Place the Luna caterpillar in the glass aquarium. Place the screen on the top of the aquarium. This will ensure that the caterpillar will not be able to get out but still has adequate ventilation.
- 2
  Place various plants in floral tubes and then put them in the aquarium. These plants are the food for the Luna caterpillar and they must stay moist and fresh because a Luna caterpillar will not eat plants that are old or dry. The floral tubes help to keep the food fresh and ensure that the caterpillar won't drown and die. If you find the Luna caterpillar shortly after it has hatched, then it will need to eat and grow for at least three or four weeks. You will know the approximate age of the Luna caterpillar based one its size: they are fully grown when they are about 2 1/2 inches long. At this point, they are ready to become a pupa.
- 3
  Place sticks in the bottom of the aquarium. Sometimes the Luna moth needs to be able to crawl up a stick when it first emerges from the cocoon. The Luna moth will begin to fly almost immediately after coming out of its cocoon, though.
- 4
  Mist the glass aquarium with water in a spray bottle. Repeat frequently to ensure that the aquarium stays humid. Do not mist the aquarium so much that mold grows, though.
- 5
  Wait for the caterpillar to become a Luna moth. This may take some time, because these caterpillars only turn into moths in the spring. In the meantime, keep the aquarium moist by spraying it with water frequently and replace the leaves and vegetation daily.
- 6
  Keep the Luna moth in the aquarium or let it go. The Luna moth does not have a digestive system, so it will no longer need food or any other real care.

Insects & Science