The Donoghue family of Davidson got a special treat Saturday evening during a stroll to enjoy the beautiful weather. Walking along the Davidson Greenway near the Kimberly Road access point, they “noticed an amazing looking moth or butterfly sitting on a fence,” Marnie Donoghue told DavidsonNews.net. “We ran home and looked it up in a bug book.”

The Donoghues learned that they had just seen a Luna Moth, and best of all the elusive and rare insect was polite enough to wait for the Donoghues to run back to the fence post with their camera. The photo above is of Liam, 7, a first-grader at Davidson Elementary, and his brother, Trevor, 3, with their find.

“What’s so special about this moth is not just its beauty or its way of camouflage (looking like a leaf),” Ms. Donoghue explained. “Luna Moths are rarely seen due to their very brief adult lives. The adults do not eat or have mouths. They emerge as adults solely to mate and only live approximately one week.”