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June 18, 1981 - Love Life of the LunaSECOND SECTION The 611 f f o Iti T t 111e5 JUNE 18, 1981 Love Life of the Luna I'm sure we've all seen people who seem mysterious or provocative. You've seen them on a train or bus or just driving along the highway. Where are they going? What is their destination? And for what? Would- n't it be nice to be invisible and see just how their story unfolds. We all play games of pretending and speculation whether we admit it or not. Just last week one such young man came traveling out our way. His car was not new or sporty but it had a destination as it headed east. Along the expressway it sped. The hour was late and few cars were on the road. He was a perfect subject for our game of `follow and see'. Where would it lead? Our driver was dead serious, and his red hair seemed electrified with excitement. His clothes were casual. In the back of the car he carried a collection of weird, wire contraptions that looked like rolls of window screen opened at both ends. There was no dilly- dallying in his methods. He had a destination and an appointment to keep. Through Riverhead, Aquebogue, Jamesport, Laurel, Mattituck and Cutchogue he sped. Finally the car turned down the lane by the bay and then into a darkened driveway. The driveway was ours. We were not at home and the dark night and late hour added a chilling note of mystery. What was his reason for coming? He did not even head for the house but opened the car door and with one of his wire contraptions held daintily in front of him plunged into the woods. Inside the wire container something moved and fluttered. It was exquisitely �l beautiful. On close examination it proved to be a pale green moth with two long sweeping wings. It was the prized luna moth. One of its legs was tied ever so gently by a piece of soft white string which acted like a leash. This in turn was attached to the inside of the wire cage. Both ends of the cage were open. After finding the right kind of tree the trap was wired and left hanging on the limb. It had to be a hickory tree for this would be the breeding ground of the luna. Then the young man went back to his car turned around and headed'east again. He made two more stops repeating his nightly journey into the woods. One was in Greenport in Moores Woods, the other in the now famous Mashomack woods on Shelter Island. Each time the open -ended wire trap revealed its beautiful pale green maiden tethered to the trap and hung to the tree. Once secured the female never struggled but seemed to await her destiny. The young man's name was John Cryan from Stony Brook University. He is one of the rare people that get involved in obscure but important bits of natural history that most of us will never come in contact with. He is studying the life history of our moths, particularly the buck moth of �a CUSTOM F CHARDS SOUND A�:7 EASTERN L.I.'s LARGEST AUDIO -VIDEO SPECIALISTS 28 Cameron St. ( just off Main St. ) Southampton 2834428 AT CHARO'S AWORL OFCULTURE EVERYTHING'S AFFORDABLE Portable Radios & Cassettes - Stereo Components - Sales /Service Auto Sound Systems - TV's - Audio Accessories Over 50 Major Brands Large Screen Projection T.V. — Video Recorders VHS MOVIES Available for Rent WHEEL HORSE LUNA MOTH - -• -Some think this is our most beautiful moth, yet fate has doomed this delicate pale green moth for upon completion of its mission of laying its eggs -- it soon dies. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh our pine barrens and the luna moth of our more mature oak - hickory woods here on the island. The luna moth will only be found on walnut and hickory for these tree leaves provide the food for the luna caterpillar. John says according to Roy Latham the moth was almost wiped out years ago by massive aerial spraying here on Long Island. Then a few years ago I found a ragged one in our hickory woods and told John about it. He was delighted to hear it for deep in his heart he was hoping that this beautiful moth would somehow have escaped extinction and return someday. Now was the chance to prove his theory. How would he ever do it? It was an almost impossible task I thought to check every tree and limb for moths but he had a plan. Knowing that the scent of a female luna moth can be detected up to two miles by the male he was going to bring out female moths, leave them overnight, and see if they would attract any males. It sounded way out to me but surely worth a try and so last week he made his midnight trip to the east end with tethered females in their makeshift traps. Would his theory work? The night he came out I couldn't be around but I did get a call from him saying that he would leave one in the woods. It was late that evening when we got home but I had to find out if we had "lured a moth ". roll 0 1-11411:4 Mower Attachment with the purchase of a Wheel Horse Series C Tractor. A $535 VALUE sn2i -acala rattan ??as3vg ��reae atmz::,:;rr E3M" W erase CM Ae "an aaudisrAaapedoft £ €as t rraDsr s;r.-% s ?&W gdta 4t,w tttWV12f W804? fns 111, Ni3Y0 ,' 1',W SILVER ROLE BROS. ANNIVERSARY Limited Offer ROUTE 58, RIVERHEA©, LA. 727 -4383 Sale Ends July 3,1981 After much stumbling about with flash- light in hand we located the trap. Nothing was in it. My heart sank. Did it mean our woods was bare of this lovely moth? We went to bed a bit discouraged but early the next morning I checked the trap and to and behold we had our male. Nature had performed right on schedule. The old story of bees and birds again came through. The male has a much larger antenna than the female. This extra ap- paratus helps him locate his lady fair. After mating she would lay her eggs on one of her favorite trees..the hickory. Her only appointment was to mate after coming from the cocoon. She will never eat for she was born with inadequate mouth parts. After mating and laying her eggs, she will die. Her task complete. In a short time young caterpillars will emerge and start eating their way to maturity. Upon filling up with a reserve of food they will then spin themselves into cocoons which will be attached to the leaves of the tree. These will fall to the ground and keep the lunas alive and protected throughout the winter. Then in May when the natural world sets the stage for the renewal of life the beautiful light green lunas will again emerge. Such is the love life of the luna moth and in a different way the secret love of John Cryan. He lives and works in another world which to him is just as exciting and rewarding as any. He has become sparked by a special gift, the gift of inquiry; a gift that will take him through life on a never - ending series of adventures. His life will never be dreary or monotonous for each day will be a new revelation. PAUL STOUTENBURGH HELP WANTED The Suffolk Times and The News- Review are looking for a part -time typesetter. Prior ex- perience preferred, but not mandatory. Typing skills a must. Reply to Box F, Greenport, N.Y. _-%� _ 11944. ROBERT SCHUR, M.A. announces the expansion of his practice to include Learning Disability Evaluation Psycho - educational Testing Child and Family Counseling Behavior Modification Psychotherapy Hypnotherapy (Hypnosis) By appointment 765 -5550