And so the
synchronicity continues. This
morning, I was visited by the black witch moth, otherwise known as the
butterfly of death. This is a very
large brown moth often mistaken as a bat, found mostly in the Caribbean, Mexico
and the upper South American continent, with some species found in Hawaii.
Here is some
information I found about my visitor:
Facts and Legends of the Black Witch Moth
The
Ascalapha Odorata, or black witch moth, is a large bat-shaped, dark-colored
nocturnal moth. The moth is quite distinctive, with a wingspan sometimes
exceeding 7 inches. It is not actually black, but a variegated dark brown
marked with zigzag black lines and faint touches of pink and lavender. The black witch moth is found
throughout Central America and Mexico, with its distribution extending from
Brazil to the southern United States. It is the largest noctuid found in the
continental United States.
In Spanish
it is known as "Mariposa de la Muerte" (Mexico & Costa Rica),
"Pirpinto de la Yeta" (Argentina), "Tara Bruja" (Venezuela)
or simply "Mariposa negra" (Colombia); in Nahuatl (Mexico) it is
"Miquipapalotl" or "Tepanpapalotl" (miqui = death, black +
papalotl = moth); in Quechua (Peru) it is "Taparaco"; in Mayan
(Yucatán) it is "X-mahan-nah" (mahan = to borrow + nah = house); in
Jamaica and the Caribbean, the moth is known as the "Duppy Bat" or "Money
moth". Other names for the moth include the Papillion-devil, La Sorcière
Noire, or the Mourning or Sorrow moth.
Like many
moths, the Black Witch only flies at night. It may hang under eaves or cars to
sleep through a day or two in its migration. The black witch can only suck up
nourishment through a straw-like proboscis that is coiled on its head in
flight. The odor of soft overripe fruit attracts it, and so does the alcohol
that forms when fruit decays. Food must be a pulpy liquid for the moth to be
able to eat it.
The
beginning of the rainy season in Mexico, in spring, triggers the first
northward migration, and overlapping generations of the moths move north
through the warm months. They are common in the American desert southwest, but
stragglers have been seen in New Jersey and even Alaska. They are also known in
Hawaii, although they are not native there. They breed year around where
conditions permit. In fall, they pull back southward.
The larva
feed on acacia, mesquite and locust, and Candle Bush, Woman’s Tongue, and Texas
Ebony. They are large, nearly 3 inches long, and pale gray tinged with brown.
They have stripes and spots that help them blend in with the bark of the plants
that are their food.
The adult
moth, the imago, is bat-like in form and flight, inspiring many superstitious
beliefs throughout its range. Its large size, silent movement, and nocturnal
activity are associated for us with the ancient terrors of night. In general it is an omen of bad luck.
If it flies into a house in Mexico where someone is ill, that person will
surely die. This belief has been modified in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas so
that the moth must fly in and visit all four corners of the house for the spell
to take effect. In some Caribbean
populations, the Sorciere Noire is believed to be an actual witch in disguise,
and to see it means someone has cast an evil spell on you. In Jamaica it is
called a Duppy Bat, and believed to be a lost soul. In parts of the Bahamas,
folklore calls them Moneybats, and tells that they bring prosperity. In Hawaii,
where the huge moths are only occasionally seen, some people claim that the black witch is a dead friend come to say goodbye.
The novel
Silence of the Lambs uses the pupa of the Black Witch moth as a prop. However,
in the film version, its place is taken by the less subtly unsettling
Deaths-head Hawkmoth.
I was not
unsettled by this visit at all; in fact, I saw this as an indication that
Haftorang was aware of my efforts.
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