He had just emerged from a cacoon that was still attached to the inside depressed part of a sign pole under a silver maple tree I planted several years ago.
I couldn't stop taking pictures and gazing in absolute total wonder at the beauty of this creature.
The "tear" you see is the moth dispelling any fluid left in his body. He (or she) is preparing to go in search of a partner to complete the cycle.
Although there are literally hundreds of moths I found this one quickly. Luck or coincidence I do not know. After reading about this lovely bit of life I will hesitate the next time I recoil from an "ugly" caterpillar. If you would like to read more about this truly amazing moth click here. I emailed the author of the site and he emailed me back saying
Hi Mary,
Indeed cecropia moths are beautiful. They are one of my lifelong favorites and are fascinating to observe as they go about their life cycle.
Enjoy your experience and tell others about your appreciating the wonders of nature.
David
This experience made me stop and appreciate how fleeting beauty is in our lives and how we must cherish those moments.
6 comments:
That moth is exquisite I love the colours. Thanks for sharing and thanks to David for providing the quick response. B
Ditto, on what Buttons said!
~~HUGS~~
Mary. Thanks for the beautiful pictures and the opportunity to see this wonder of nature. I love the one(no6) where we can see that gorgeous russet furry body. Maa.
Oh Mary! Such an amazing creature... what a find!
I can fully understand how you couldn't stop gazing at it. Such a rare opportunity.
Your photos are wonderful, we can see it from all aspects. I'm in awe.
Thank you for the great link too, and thank you for sharing your photos :D)
The website has a lot of information and videos and I was quite surprised to learn David is only about 30 miles away in Richmond the home of Eastern KY University.
I returned the moth to the place I found him and hopefully he was able to fulfill his purpose in life. I will try to get a photo of the cacoon the next time I pass by.
Those pictures are just beautiful!
thanks for the link.
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