It's very early for the pigeons to be flying, the dew still glimmering on the closely mowed lawn of Bermuda grass on the east side of the Holifield Science Learning Center. The heat is building even at this hour, 7:30 a.m. the silence tainted only by the muffled cooing of the rock doves eating seed on the patio wall. Only the lines of grout and a conspicuous key lime pie colored splotch broke the uniform drab rock wall. The rising sun had caught out a large luna moth or it was a female that had laid her eggs and had chosen our patio wall as a place to die. This moth only flies at night and the adult lifespan of one-week combine to make it a rare find.

    A large, green North American insect, the luna moth has a long projection on each hind wing. Luna is the Roman goddess of the moon and this moth is so named because of the lunate (crescent shaped) yellow rings on its wings. The bright green, accordion-like caterpillar spends his feeding life on the leaves of oak, walnut, sweet gum and a few other trees. The adults do not have working mouthparts and therefore don't eat. The larva spins a sack-like cocoon usually on the ground. You can almost guess the emergence time of the adult by looking at the border of their wings. The spring moth has a yellow border and the summer critter is pink to purple on the margins. It seems that even Mother Nature makes a fashion statement. The student visitors on this day will have a unique nature moment.