August 5, 2007 - Moon Moth Welcome to the Nature Notebook. What has a wingspan of four to five inches, is lime green and flies at night? It just happens to be one of our largest moths, a Luna Moth. These beautiful and unusual moths with long projecting tails on their hind wings are a rare find. Their nocturnal habits combined with a short life span of about one week make Luna Moths a real surprise to find in nature. These wild members of the silk moth family feed on the foliage of walnut, hickory, sweet-gum, and persimmon. As adults they do not eat. Unmated females do not fly, but depend on attracting males through the use of a chemical perfume or pheromone. Luna Moths are declining due to habitat loss and pesticide use. As summer winds down Luna moths become more difficult to find, but there is still a chance to see one. This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.