Midsummer Moths

 

The fear of Moths is known as Mottephobia. I used to be mottephobic. When I was a girl, a bunch of my family went to stay in a little holiday cottage in Weymouth. Hey, it was the 1970s! One evening during our stay, my folks and Aunt went out and my big grown- up cousin Fran (I thought she was sooooo cool!) was in charge of baby sitting my brother and I. I remember going into the kitchen because I heard a noise. Something was tapping on the window. I thought it was my parents returning early. But no! When I pulled back the jaunty yellow gingham curtain, I was horrified to see moths battering the window with their little fat bodies. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

It has taken a good few years for that feeling of horror to leave me. One of the turning points was in my early teens, when I found a White Ermine moth resting on the back of a door. I didn't know that moths could be so beautiful. It has incredible tiny feathery antenna, and a fabulously regal furry ruff at the top of the wings. Hmmmm, maybe moths weren't so bad.

 

Original image URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gails_pictures/4770458669/



One summers evening a few years ago, I found this gorgeous beastie in my bathroom. Wow! A delicate primrose yellow Swallowtailed Moth. I spent a long time just looking at him. I was able to coax him onto an envelope and took this photo before setting him loose in the garden. I knew then that my fear of moths was gone. Yes, I'm still not particularly keen on having them flitter around my head, but I would have to say I have become a bit of a fan.  





 

Mind you, all these years I didn't know that the splendid little scarlet and black Cinnabar was a moth. I always remember as a child, our garden being filled with them. My brother and I used to collect the caterpillars in jam jars. My cat, Sebastian, used to catch them in his mouth. He used to bring them to me as a gift. If I used to wiggle my fingers around his head, he would open his mouth and amazingly the Cinnabar would fly away free and unharmed! Perhaps, just maybe, I was a fan all along.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/springfieldhomer/8731127563/

It is easy to see how moths have a reputation as creatures of the darkness. It's not solely due to the fact that most moth species are nocturnal. Moths have a creepy, sinister, otherworldly quality to them. In some cultures they are seen as the bringers of evil omens , or that they can turn into witches. In Jamaica, the Black Witch Moth is seen as the embodiment of a soul not at rest. According to myth, the Hawaiian Black Witch Moth is seen as the spirit of a loved one's soul returning to say goodbye. There are even places in Mexico, where people joke that if one flies over your head, you'll lose your hair. Coooooooooooool!

 

The idea for this post once again came from my trusty copy of the Collins Complete British Wildlife Photo Guide! The names of the moths are fantastic. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do

Mother of Pearl
Ghost Moth
White Plume Moth
The Lackey
Puss Moth
Sallow Kitten
Lobster Moth
Broad-Bordered Bee Hawkmoth
Chocolate Tip
Iron Prominent
Pale Tussock
The Vapourer
Ruby Tiger
Rosy Footman
Mother Shipton
Heart and Dart
True Lover's Knot
Hebrew Character
The Shark
Grey Dagger
The Miller
Nut-Tree Tussock
Old Lady
Lunar-Spotted Pinion
Angle Shades
Straw Underwing
Burnished Brass
Beautiful Golden Y
Peach Blossom
Pebble Hooktip
Lilac Beauty
Scarce Silver Lines
The Herald
Figure of Eighty
Blotched Emerald
Foxglove Pug
Canary-Shouldered Thorn
Scorched Wing
Mottled Umber
Oak Beauty
Peppered Moth