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- Black Witch Moth, Dorsal View
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- Black Witch Moth, Ventral View
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- Black Witch Moth, Wing Close-up
Early Morning Risers … dawn blankets the sky with apricot color as I trip, literally, down the steps to our little laundry room. Half asleep, I glance at the floor before I step in and there is a black blob. Catching my foot an instant before it lands on the blob, I lean over, bleary-eyed, and perceive a butterfly? a moth? some creature? I rush in and wake D.L. who repeats my stumble down the steps and growls “What? What is it?” He stares in astonishment as I wave him back. “Don’t scare it … I want to take a photo of it.”
After a moment he says “But … But … it is dead!” Checking up close we touch the moth and it is dead so we pick it up and take it inside where I find a photo of the Black Witch Moth on the internet. There it says it is the largest moth north of Mexico at 5 to 6 inches. It is often mistaken for a bat.
One site says the Mayans called it Mah-Ha-Na which means “May I borrow your house” since they frequent indoor places. It is also considered a harbinger of death in Caribbean and South American folklore. Regardless, it is a lovely treasure and a remarkable start to our morning.
ENJOY !!
Mary P Williams 