Number 13 from my #mothtober is the incredible Comet Moth of Madagascar Moon Moth (October is a state of mind, these will def be taking me more than one month due to ~secret news for later~)
From the uraniidae family. They have a wingspan of 7-11 cm. They inhabit a wide variety of habitatsd, from deciduous forests to rain forest regions. They are endemic to Masagascar.
This is a swallowtail moth. They have a very short season but if I'm lucky, in summer a small number of them drop by. What a joy. Pls enjoy this moth because the world feels better knowing they exist 💖🦋
I was recently extremely blessed in being able to finally see one of my “bucket list bugs” as I’ve started calling them. (Not a real list, as I’m never one to be organized…)
But a friend alerted me to the presence of this big beauty and J gave me a leg up to take a closer photo with my measly phone camera and subpar photography skills. I found some eggs she had laid on the wall and I scooped them up in hopes I can look after them. She hung around with her admirers for a good half hour before deciding she’d lingered long enough and flew off into the literal sunset.
Cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia, largest moth species in North America. Bug haters, don’t interact!
The green silver lines moth, oh my god, they have SUCH a good colour palette! i encourange anyone to use these guys as an inspiration for art cause they're sooo unique and pretty!!
these guys are tiiiiny at 3.5cm, so you gotta make sure to look out for them if you wanna spot them, especially if you're looking for them while out :P
They live in europe and northern asia, so you goddamn know next season when they fly (june-july) i'll be trying to spot them
and to make it even better, they're not even a pest of anything! just an all around beautiful moth :3 i love them so much!!
They're also fluffy - they're basically flying kittens 🐈🦋
(Some ppl still think moths are all brown and that only butterflies are colourful. There are in fact many colourful moths, and many brown butterflies - butterflies have just had better PR tbh)
Moths are also important pollinators, taking over as the night shift when bees go to sleep! 🐝💤
Many much loved garden birds rely on moth caterpillars to feed their chicks. Love birds? Love moths. 🐦💖🦋
Only a few species of moths eat your jumpers or are pests. The rest are a vital part of your local ecosystems! (& That's generally true whether you live in a busy city, a rural community, or way out in the arse-end of nowhere.)
But these colourful plant-pollinating bird-feeding flying kittens need our help. Many moth species are declining scarily fast. That's bad for all the wildlife that relies on them (& us too.)
Read about how you can help here, here, & here
& if you have a garden? Do less weeding! Tidy up less!! Skip trimming the hedges for a minute. Tell any neighbours that complain you're helping the local ecosystem and it's pollinating flying kittens - the same pollinators that look after everyone's gardens. 🦋🐈💖
Rosy Maple Moths are the smallest silk moths in the world, as they grow to be 1 or 2 inches! They are most known for their bright pink and yellow color scheme, which helps them camouflage as a Maple seed to hide from birds such as blue jays. Their Larvae are known as green straight maple worms and spend most of their life on the same maple tree, eating its leaves, and pupating in the trees soil, until they emerge as the small Moth. They're commonly found in North America, usually during Summer.