Rare Luna moth found in Devon... after travelling 4,000 miles from its North American home

The pale green Luna Moth is native to North America but because it has no mouth it cannot feed and so has a lifespan of just one week.

It is such a rare sight that even in its native land it was recently placed on the endangered list.

But Lauren Saunders, aged six, and her sister Chloe, four, found this one their doorstep - in Okehampton, Devon.

The luna moth is so rare it is even endangered in its native North America

They spotted the five-inch wide lime green moth while playing outside because of its unusual colouring.

Their mother Lynne said: "The girls brought it in to show me and we put it on the bush because we didn't know what else to do.

"It's beautiful and the wings look a bit like a sparrow's tail."  Family friend and wildlife enthusiast Ken Williams revealed adult luna moths have no mouths and cannot feed - meaning they have a life-span of just one week.

He said: "This is a very unusual find - it's a beautiful thing and quite large compared to British moths. They are so rare they even cause a sensation when found in North America.

"It has probably come over here as a cocoon in a box of vegetables or some sort of foodstuff but because they only live for a few days it's a very rare sighting." 

The family released the moth into the garden but sadly found it dead a few days later - in a spider's web.

Dad Paul, said: "I knew it was something I'd never seen before. I took a couple of photos and Lauren was fascinated but when she found it dead in a spider's web she was quite upset.

Luna moths emerge from papae as adults solely to mate and as with all moths in the Saturniidae family they do not have mouths and do not feed.

Most only produce one generation per year.