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How to fold an origami luna moth

Four pieces, all folded. Fold two doubled strips into Vs of wings, the back pair tapered into long tails, pleat a fluffy white body and fold leaf-shaped feelers.

You need: Pale green paper: a 14 × 6.5 cm piece, a 16 × 6.5 cm piece and a 2.4 × 8.4 cm strip; a 6.5 × 1.5 cm brown strip; glue, a black and a white pen. Hard, 22 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Front wings: fold in half. Lay the 14 × 6.5 cm piece across, white side up. Fold the top half down, so it's green on both sides.
  2. Front wings: shape the tips. At the right end fold the top corner behind on a long slant, from 3 cm in to halfway down the end. Do the same to the bottom corner at the left end.
  3. Front wings: round them. Fold the two other corners behind a little, so each wing tip is round.
  4. Front wings: fold a V. Fold the left half over on a slant through the middle, so the two wings spread wide apart.
  5. Back wings. Set the front wings aside. Lay the 16 × 6.5 cm piece across, white side up.
  6. Back wings: fold in half. Fold the top half down, so it's green on both sides.
  7. Back wings: start the tails. At the right end fold the bottom corner behind on a long slant, from 1.5 cm right of the middle to the middle of the end. Same for the left end's top corner.
  8. Back wings: thin the tails. Fold the other two corners behind too, from 4.5 cm out to the middle of the end, so each end tapers to a long thin tail.
  9. Back wings: fold a V. Fold the left half over on a slant through the middle, so the two tails spread in a V.
  10. Feelers. Set the back wings aside. Lay the brown strip across, white side up.
  11. Feelers: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, brown side out.
  12. Feelers: make them feathery. At the right end fold the top corner behind on a long slant to the middle of the end. Do the same to the bottom corner at the left end.
  13. Feelers: point the tips. Fold the other two corners behind the same way. Each end is now a thin leaf, wide near the middle and pointed at the tip.
  14. Feelers: fold a V. Fold the left half over on a slant through the middle into a V.
  15. Body. Set the feelers aside. Take the green strip standing tall, white side up.
  16. Body: sides behind. Fold both long sides behind, 5 mm each, so the white strip is narrower.
  17. Body: pleat the head. Fold the top down on a crease 1.5 cm from the top.
  18. Body: and back up. Fold it back up on a crease 3 mm lower. The step it leaves is the neck.
  19. Body: pleat the chest. Fold the bottom up on a crease 2.6 cm below the neck.
  20. Body: and back down. Fold it back down on a crease 3 mm higher. Now there is a head, a fluffy chest and a tummy.
  21. Body: round the ends. Fold the corners behind: small ones at the head, long slants at the tummy so it tapers to a round tip.
  22. Glue it together. Glue the front wings under the chest, spreading up and out, and the back wings under them with the tails hanging down. Glue the feelers' V behind the head.

Ready for the moonlight!

Draw an eyespot on each wing: a black ring, white inside, a black dot. Add fuzzy lines on the chest and two black eyes.

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