True story: I was working one night at a remote cell phone tower, carrying my equipment into the shelter from my truck. A motion caught my eye under the arc and electric hum of a security light above the shelter. I watched for a few moments as a big something–at first I thought it was a bat–kept flying up in a circle and then would smash back into the ground. I walked over, head cocked to the side, trying to figure out what it was and why it kept bashing its head into the ground over and over with big meaty-sounding thumps. I finally saw that it was a big luna moth, as big as my hand, and in the next few minutes as I watched and it continued its cycle of circle, whomp, circle, whomp, I felt a stirring of something like pity in my gut. I felt like this moth was fresh from its cocoon and learning to fly and just wasn’t getting the hang of it. I watched and waited, silently cheering the little fella along, but although it would stop and sit on the ground for a minute or two it eventually would hop into the air again. It was really disheartening.
I know a lot of people would tell me to keep out of nature’s affairs, to let the little moth learn on its own merit, but it was damn hard for me, a bona fide softy at heart, to keep watching it smack into the ground again and again. So I tried to do something about it. I wanted to help. Besides, I wasn’t going to get any work done that night so long as I knew that helpless little moth was out there banging away at the gravel.
When it took a break I reached down and picked it up as gently as I could. It didn’t make any fuss, which made me think it must be utterly exhausted. I remember it felt like I’d picked up a silk feather. It tickled a little, but it was as gentle and weightless as air in my hand. My plan was to simply hold it up as high as I could, so when he decided he could just take off from there (I’m 6′3″, so I gave him a pretty good launching pad). Soon enough, he took off, and went up about three feet with me cheering and hooting below him, and then he dove straight back to the ground. He just sat there and I thought, “Oh my God I’ve killed it.” I picked it up again and it fluttered a touch, just a touch, and so I held him up once again, praying–praying–that he would find the skill he needed to fly, to live.
That last time was magical. I was cheering for him as he launched off my hand. He flew up into the glow of the security light, up and up so high I could barely see him, just a faint little will-o-the-wisp against the night sky, floating back and forth, back and forth. And then he came back down like a flash, so that I thought he was going to hit the ground again, but just as he reached head height to me, he looped back up and at that moment I knew, I just knew, he would be gone in a flash, never to be seen by human eyes again, and I smiled. For just a moment, the thought popped into my head that this little moth was thankful for my help, and that he was flying down to let me know he appreciated it, that he couldn’t have done it without me, and that he was going to be all right now.
And then a bat ate him. Right out of the air. Swooped in like a black bullet and gulped him down like a little green burrito. I stood there for a few minutes, staring up at the spot where I’d last seen him, and I could see the bats now, flying around the light, just outside of its limits, swimming through the night like sharks waiting for a newborn to drop into the inky blackness of their ocean.
If you’d like to know who took this amazingly beautiful picture…visit S J Carter’s website.
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12 Comments
When you feed the little birds, you also feed the big birds.
I went out into my back-yard two years ago during the winter to do some log cutting. The blue-jays were squaking like mad and I thought it was because I was interrupting their joyous feast. The blue-jays in the summer would wake me up far before I was ready to get up because of their noise, so we didnt’ see eye to eye, but I do like feeding the chick-a-dees, cardinals, bunts, and other birds. So when the blue-jays went silent I knew something was up. That’s when I turned around and saw a red-tailed hawk lifting back into the air, quite a site to see in woods, only about 15 yards away. And in that hawks claws was a blue-jay sized blue feather bundle. How I love them hawks.
Man I would’ve loved to have seen that. I’ve got a few hawks around my little hilltop, but I’ve yet to get close enough to see one in action. A few years ago I was at my mom’s house and walking through the pasture saw a Cooper’s hawk up on a branch tearing a … I think it was a squirrel, but can’t really be sure at that point in the rending … anyway, he sat there for a long time, looking up at me every now and then while he ate, and I was within about ten feet of the tree before he finally squawked at me and left with his little twist of meat still in his claws. That was a good day.
Today we found a Luna Moth in our yard. It is very large and the kids think it is beautiful. We live in Perry, NY
Today I found a Luna Moth near the base of Mt. Mansfield in VT. It was in ferns-nearly the same color. I put my finger down in front of it and it climbed right on. I raised my finger and looked at the beautiful thing up close. It seemed to have wet/damp wings which it did not seem to have the power to flap. I wondered if it was new-recently emerged (or whatever it does) and its wings were still moist and needed to dry. I put it down on the same fern and off it crawled and off we walked a little bit happier.
i have pics of one here in pittsburgh, was on a job site at night an have seen other type, SO BIG MAN BIG MOTHS. but the color is lighter. could it be a luna moth?
I just “helped ” one that was stranded on the “smoking deck” at work. He escaped unharmed in Nashville .
We lived in rather a rather remote area when my kids were young. One sunny day on one of the back roads, out of nowhere (you know where that is!) a huge hawk flew directly in front of our windshield with a rather large writhing snake in it’s talons. It was like a drive in movie. I pulled over to slow my breath and my daughter and I just stared at each other and did not talk…awesome, great trailer for life’s big movie.
At the same residence (Northern Michigan) I had a huge luna land on our back door window, allowing me to observe it for a time. Aren’t they gorgeous!!
I love this picture. I have always wanted to study a Luna Moth so I am asking you to send me anything you know about them. thanks.
Ange: if you read this article, then you already know the extent of my knowledge.
My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed your story, no matter the grisly ending! I saw a Luna Moth on the side of a gas station we stopped at not too long ago, and took a picture of it. I wasn’t sure, though I suspected, that that was what it was. We were rooting through Google so I could ascertain my belief, and we stumbled across your story in the process. Bless you, for trying! I would have done the same. :)
About 2 years ago in late May I was visiting my sister who lives in Greenwood, Nova Scotia. I went out just before bed to have a smoke (I know…bad). There was just a porch light on and this thing flew at me and scared me because it was so big. It landed on the railing and I could not beleive what a beautiful butterfly I was looking at. It was about the size of my two hands put together and a very pale green. It had markings on it like beads or eyes that where brownish. It sat there for about two mintes and then flew off. Looked it up on the internet next day and turns out it was a luna moth. I had lived in Nova Scotia for 8 years and had never seen one and then on a short 4 day visit spotted this creature. It was stunning and I still recall it to this day. Turns out Nova Scotia is on the very edges of it’s habitat range and I was just lucky to have seen it.