One of my favorite memories from my childhood was a little silver cardboard box that my Mamaw and Papaw kept on top of their vast collection of encyclopedias.  Inside the little box was a luna moth which Mamaw had set inside.  I must have asked them to get down that box a million times.  I remember the poor moth got so old finally that its wings deteriorated to the point that they just turned clear and finally, after years, my grandparents threw it away.  So, to see a Luna moth always brings me to a very happy place in my own mind.

  Luna moths emerge from cocoons which are on the ground, near the trees that the caterpillars feast on.  They come out in the spring, do not eat at all, mate and die.  This whole stage in their lives only lasts about a week.  But, what a treat to find one!  This big guy was on my kitchen window.  Four days later, it was replaced by another, equally as beautiful, but a bit smaller.