Sunday, July 27, 2014

Giant Moth Visitor

On Tuesday night, I heard something tapping against one of our windows, and I looked up to see that a huge Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) had come to visit, attracted by our indoor lights!
 

(Pardon the poor picture quality.... Low lighting and glare were not helpful, and only my little iPhone camera was able to get any pictures at all.)

What a glorious creature! I looooooove giant moths, and this is the first one I've seen in years! With a ~5 inch wingspan, this creature made quite a sight flapping up and down against the glass. I would have loved to just open the window and let this guy (or girl?) inside, but I don't think that would have been beneficial for anyone. Look at that huge body to match those wings!
 

After about a half hour of fruitless flying against the glass (I'm sorry, friend!), the creature finally moved on. Here's hoping it found a mate and was able to produce a new generation of winged giants!

3 comments:

  1. Oooh so cool! I love Saturniid moths and haven't stumbled across one in a couple years now. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, these moths are super awesome! I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves them. :)

      Delete