Luna Moths

Yes, Maggie! It's in the exchange. Let me know if you want to do a trade. I have seeds for more than what is listed on my profile. :-)

grrrrrrrrr 4 days now and still no more have eclosed. Wonder if the weather has anything to do with it. We have had almost 11" rain in the last 2 weeks and is gray drizzly with 80% chance today and 70% for tomorrow
July 3= 1 3/4"
4= 1/4"
5= 1/4"
6= 1 1/2"
7= 1 1/2"
13= 2 1/2" in 15 minutes, got real scarey
14= 1 1/8"
15= 1 3/4"
16= ??

7 days and still no more have eclosed. Really makes no sense to me. Poor fellow is going to die without mating. Wonder if this is the way they eclose and if this is why their numbers are dropping

Are the cocoons still wriggling?

yes they are still alive

Well that's at least a good sign. I have no suggestion as to why this is happening.

If you ever get any eggs, I would love to try some for postage and I have a jumbo Sweet Gum which was planted in 1961. I also have access to larger cata cages than the Ziploc ones I made ala Deb's invention.

Speaking of which I have a little bitty Sweet Gum tree about 6" tall if anybody wants it. I will just pop it in a bubble envie. I guess I should offer Becky first dibs on it since she's been lamenting the lack of hosts.

Suzy

Suzy,

If Becky doesn't want the Sweet Gum sapling so let me know...or if you can send seeds I'd like to try to get some to grow back at the ranch.

~ Cat

Suzy - I would love your Sweet Gum sapling for postage!! Please d-mail me with details! :-) Sorry Cat! :-( Seeds are good too, though! And I would consider that myself if anyone has seeds! :-)

I knew that was too good for you to pass up Becky. You have a better chance of attracting Luna moths than I do...but had also read it was a larval host for other moths that venture this way.

Do hope it does well for you and we'll be reading some Luna stories next year when the tree is big enough :o)

~ Cat

IIIoquin you are welcome to eggs if I ever get any lol. I will keep you all informed.

Becky I strongly suggest you plant that tree behind your fence outside of your property. We have them everywhere and you can't get rid of them. You cut them and they grow from the roots everywhere just like a Popcorn tree

Thanks, Donna! I will keep in mind that it might be invasive. :-) I grow a lot of invasives in pots. I have my Trumpet Creeper vine going crazy in a large pot right now. No blooms (or seed pods) yet, but when it does, I will be picking them off before they can burst open and spread. I am STILL digging up runners under the bird feeder from when I planted it in the ground last year. It is a nightmare here for sure! I know in my zone, I have to be very careful with what goes into the ground permanently! And I continue to make mistakes! LOL! Being new to gardening, I am still pretty naive about what plants can be invasive. =:-O

Who knew they'd be so popular! Next one is yours, Cat.

I didn't realize they'd be so invasive there...they're just trees up here. Trees that drop those gull durn balls that the mower won't pick up!

Becky. just dmail me your address, ok?

Suzy

Thanks Suzy...or if you have seeds to share I'll gladly send postage. Got 200 some ought acres of planting space back at the ranch. :o)

~ Cat

I have a gum tree in my backyard and could not say that it is invasive. My oak trees (at least I think that's what they are) are far worse, they have runners pop up everywhere.

Maria - I don't ever see runners coming from my two large Oak trees. I wonder what kind of Oak trees you have? I know here in my area, the Brazilian Pepper Tree is THE most invasive tree! They are horrible!!!
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1911/

well it dead this morning. I truly wonder if we are doing more harm than good especially with these moths. If I had released both of them to the wild when they eclosed they might have found a mate and reproduced ;-(

Anymore that eclose, if a mate doesn't eclose within 3 or 4 days I am going to release it so it at least has a chance to reproduce in the wild

I'm so sorry Donna... 8*(

Don't be hard on yourself... I believe you were trying to give them the best chance possible.

Karen

I agree, Donna! I am sure many butterflies never do mate in the wild either. He probably would not have seen adulthood had you not taken such good care of him! :-)

Dear Donna,

I'm so sorry. It's very disappointing to lose one, especially at that point. You give so much back to the environment and perhaps you will still have some to hatch and mate.

Warm regards,

Maggie

Donna, you did great and probably will have more to eclose. Do not get discouraged.

still no more eclosed. Beginning to wonder if they are going to wait until later this month and be their last cycle until spring with new cocoons over wintering. The cocoons are alive

Donna, what ever happened with all the others?

Was this the site where you purchased your eggs-
http://www.insectnet.com/cgi/newclassifieds/newclassifieds.cgi?session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&results_format=headlines&query=browse

This is one of the best threads I have ever read on Dave's Garden.

I still have 10 that will hatch in spring I guess. They have some solid weight to them so they are still alive. Yes that is where I got my eggs from Lauren

Really strange question but what, if anything, are you doing anything about humidity and air circulation in the area in which you have them?

they will over winter and need some cool. They will stay in the garage where they have some protection. Our winters go up and down. Sometimes we are wearing shorts at Christmas and running the a/c in Febuary

not bragging. Actually it is very arggrivating. Everything freezes back then we are back to sweating again and everything is dead. About the time it starts to regrow then it freezes again grrrrrrr

Here. Here. You said it Donna! I hate it when that happens. If it's going to be winter then fine, but nooooooo .... it gets cold and then hot, cold and then hot! Arghhhhh! And the yard is brown and everything is dead because of a couple of cold blasts. I didn't know WHEN to start my Spring sowing last year because the temps were so unpredictable. So I waited. And I waited too long. Some of my seedlings never produced flowers this year. Another of month or two of growth probably would have been perfect! Oh well. Such is the life of a gardener. :-)

Our weather isn't all that predictable these days either so I feel for you. I must admit the thought of being able to wear shorts at Christmas is appealing given we're in the deep freeze by then and won't come out of it until sometime starting in March.

What is a pain in the rear around here is all the flooding we've been experiencing in the past few years. People literally rowing to their front doors to get to homes where they've lost everything. It's been real tough on the critters too. Floods, more floods, then drought followed by more drought.

Reading this thread, prompted me to pot up sweetgum saplings. Should anyone need some of them for your Moths sanctuary. 1st day, that I came to appreciate these trees. We've many of them, having been pulling them off and cursed them. Now I'm so thankful, they were planted here. In the Spring especially, I'll have ton of those. All are pretty much gone now, because I weeded them out. lol.
So keep my dmail handy, contact me in the spring for sappling if you guys/gals are interested.

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY Donna!!!***

Happy Birthday Donna....... :-) Hope your day is very special!!

Love & warm hugs!

debnes

Ah...Donna's Birthday!!! Hope it's a great one!!!

~ Cat

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday deeeeeeeeeeeear Donna!
Happy Birthday to you!

Thank you all so much ;-)

Donna - I hope you had a wonderful day! And I hope you have many, many more!

We love ya! ♥
Happy Birthday!
~Becky~

Thank You Becky

Happy Belated Birthday Donna!
Hope you had a wonderful day filled with happiness and lots of goodies.
To a new year filled with good health and much happiness for you!

Karen

Thank you Karen