from Chris
While walking the trails Thursday afternoon, I happened to stop and take a closer look at a small tree growing next to the trail. It looked as though it had been struggling mightily beneath the shaded canopy to grab what sunlight it could from the much, much taller trees that stood nearby.
As I was about to resume my walk, though, I had to do a double-take: there, hanging from one of the branches as though it were just another leaf was a magnificent luna moth.
Luna moths are one of the largest moth species. Although fairly common, they have short life spans, living only a week or so once they reach adulthood. Luna means moon, and the moths are most often seen at night, so to catch a sight of one during the day was a real treat.
