I'm sure they're mating, because that's the position they're always in when they mate - face to face.
Congratulations on spotting them! That's hard to do!
Luna moths are beyond gorgeous - I just love them!

Sherry

Thanks Sherry!
I read in another post that you said that the burgundy edge means they've overwintered. I guess here in zone 5, that's probably the only way I would see them this early, right? The weather is so crazy this year. Its more like we're in mid May now.
I was just riding my golf cart through our woods and they caught my eye. I'm so glad I didn't miss them!

That's what they say, the burgundy edge means they came from overwintered cocoons. The one that plopped down on my hummingbird feeder either didn't have the burgundy or it's so faded you can't see it. As warm as this weather has been, maybe he's the second generation for this year? Could be!

Sherry

Sherry........I checked them out again and they are still in the exact same position 3 hours later. Is this normal? Do they only live one day? (Maybe I'm thinking of something else).
Will she lay her eggs tomorrow?
I hope they're okay.

They'll stay united until it gets dark tonight, then she'll leave and start laying her eggs.
They always stay joined for a LONG time - then they have a cigarette. :/ (Just kidding!)

Sherry

LOL!!!

Would I find eggs close by or not necessarily?

I'm not sure how far off she'll go to lay her eggs, Catherine. I think I remember reading that they only live about a week or two, and she won't lay all her eggs the first night. I'd guess she'll probably lay most of them near where you found her mating.
Luna moths use a variety of host plants, but tend to prefer certain trees in certain areas. Whenever I've found a caterpillar, they've always been on sweetgum, so when I raise them myself, I feed them sweetgum. In your area, they may prefer other hosts.
Big moth caterpillars leave big droppings, so if you find that underneath any of the trees on the list in this link, you might find a luna cat in that tree.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Luna Moth Host Plants

Thanks Sherry.
We have a majority of the trees listed on that link. And there's a sweetgum about 50' from where they were mating.
With all our weeds and tall grass, even bigger poop might be hard to find. But I'll definitely keep my eye out for the cats.
Thanks again!