Silk
The luna moth caterpillar in its fifth and final stage will either begin to spin silk in the tree and wrap itself into live leaves, or it will move into the leaves at the bottom of the host tree. The caterpillar will form one layer of silk webbing to begin the cocoon. As it curls into the web-like cocoon, the caterpillar will curl leaves around the outside. When the cocoon is complete, it looks as if a clump of leaves is hanging in the tree or lying on the forest floor. The leaves provide complete camouflage for the caterpillar's morphological state. As the caterpillar lies in the cocoon it is totally defenseless. The only protection it has is the inability of predators to visually locate it.
Cocoon Time
Once the caterpillar has encased itself in a cocoon, it will remain two to three weeks while it develops from caterpillar to moth. At the end of the three weeks, the newly formed moth will cut open the cocoon and emerge. The luna moth produces multiple generations each year depending on the location and climate. The last generation in cool areas will winter in the cocoon and will not emerge until months later.
Inside the Cocoon
While the pupae is enclosed in the cocoon, the former caterpillar changes from its green caterpillar-like body to a brown paper-like enclosure. Inside the paper-like structure, the wings, antennae and compound eyes are developing. The emerging moth will not have a mouth, as it will not need to eat. The antennae will serve as the scent sensors and will help it find a mate via the pheromones that male and female luna moths produce to locate each other.
Emergence
When the luna moth emerges from the cocoon it cannot fly. The now-winged insect must climb up a tree and hang in a position that will allow the wings to spread out and begin to circulate blood through them. The moth generally emerges in the morning and spends the rest of the day preparing in this manner for the first flight. The entire purpose of the moth phase of the luna moth life cycle is to locate a mate and reproduce. Once the moth is able to fly it will spend several days searching for a mate and then it will die.