Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Saturniidae

I heard that question from almost every person who spotted this enormous Atlas Moth. It was hanging from a plant that was growing in the small pond in the butterfly room at the Calgary Zoo when I went there on 6 October 2012. Unfortunately, it was surrounded by these fine leaves, so I couldn't get a good photo of it from any angle. I always find the snake-like wing tips fascinating. "Atlas moths are considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 cm, 62 sq in). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over 25 cm (10 in). Females are appreciably larger and heavier." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

I'd never seen this species before, so was happy to see this one, hanging inside the glass display window in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. Couldn't get a better photo of it, unfortunately. Can you imagine having no mouth, so you can't eat and you only live for one week?? Apparently, this was the only Luna Moth that they had at the Zoo, so weren't successful in creating more. I feel very lucky to have seen this one. "Actias luna, commonly known as the Luna Moth, is a lime-green, Nearctic Saturniid moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae. It has a wingspan of up to 4.5 inches (114mm), making it one of the largest moths in North America. This moth is found in North America from east of the Great Plains in the United States to northern Mexico and from Sasakatchewan eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada.[ Although rarely seen due to their very brief (1 week) adult lives, Luna Moths are considered common. As with all Saturniidae, the adults do not eat or have mouths. They emerge as adults solely to mate, and as such, only live approximately one week. They are more commonly seen at night. " From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actias_luna