Meet My Moth Friends (And Foes)
Posted: Jul 8, 2000
So last night I was out by the porch light, headphones on, just chilling and hoping for a Luna moth sighting. Instead, I got a whole squad of moths—like, five different kinds. There was a tiny brown one that kept landing on my shoe, a big white one that looked like it was made of velvet, and a yellow one that kept doing laps around the light. I tried to snap pics but my camera was being a brat, so most of them are just blurry wings.
The coolest part is how they all seem to show up together, like it’s a moth party and I’m the DJ. Sometimes NeoMoth89 joins me online and we compare notes. She saw a Polyphemus moth last week and I’m still jealous. If you’ve never seen one, look it up—they have these wild eye spots on their wings that look like they’re staring right at you.
But it’s not all friendly moths out here. There are definitely some enemies lurking. The worst are the spiders. I watched a moth get caught in a web once and it was honestly tragic. I tried to help but the spider was way too fast. Nature is brutal sometimes.
Then there are the bats. I know bats are cool and all, but they’re basically moth-hunting machines. I read that some moths can actually hear the echolocation clicks and do wild aerial maneuvers to dodge them. I wish I could see that in slow motion.
Don’t forget the birds. I’ve seen robins and blue jays swoop down and snatch moths right out of the air. It’s like a real-life video game. Sometimes I’ll see a moth chilling on a tree trunk, totally still, and a bird will just spot it and—game over.
Even other bugs get in on the action. I caught a praying mantis munching on a moth once. It was kind of awesome and kind of gross. Praying mantises are like the ninjas of the garden. If you’re a moth, you gotta watch your back.
Despite all the enemies, the moths keep coming back. I think that’s why I like them so much. They’re tough, they’re sneaky, and they don’t give up. Every night is a new adventure. Sometimes I’ll see the same moth two nights in a row and it feels like we’re friends now.
If you’ve got moth stories or pics, send them my way! I’m always down to meet new moth friends (and hear about their foes). Drop by the chatroom or post on the imageboard. The more moth nerds, the better.
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