When you live in Florida, you can expect natural surprises on a regular basis. A couple of days ago, for example, I was looking out my second story window in downtown Pensacola when a large redtail hawk landed on the live oak branch not 30 feet from me.
So it wasn't too shocking today as I was taking my 6-month-old non-poodle poodle home from a walk when I noticed something crawling in the grass that looked remarkably like a tarantula. On closer inspection, I realized I was looking at a giant polyphemus moth trying to emerge from its cocoon. The legs were thick and huge and the antenna fanned out like a peacock's tail. Glued in some fashion to the walnut-size cocoon were several liveoak leaves that gave the whole production a sense of tribal ritual. Apparently, the strong winds today had broken the branch on which the cocoon was attached. The poor giant moth couldn't get grounded and so was dragging its prison in an attempt to break free of it.
I took the little critter home and put it in a cardboard box and held the branch as if it were still attached to the tree. Slowly the creature pulled free, but its wings were folded and crumpled, and I thought it would never make it. Gradually, however, it climbed up a cardboard box and hung itself out to dry. The little crumpled wings turned into about a five-inch wingspan that is still expanding.
I'm keeping him by the window in the hope that he'll take flight (do they only travel at night?). But I'm worried some hawk or bird will grab him as soon as he is free. I feel like a protective mother and am hoping he'll stay in his little box a bit longer before testing his wings.
The two videos above are of my moth, but I found a time-lapse video on youtube that really tells the tale. Life is so amazing!!
DAY 2-3. I left the shoebox and moth near an open window that night, and in the morning, the box was empty. The moth, however, had chosen to attach itself to a wall rather than fly out the window. It was threatening to storm, so when I left for the day, I closed the window. That evening, the first thing I noticed was a lizard at the top of a floor-to-ceiling window (see pic) and the moth on the second section. This gave me a cold shudder because I had once before witnessed a lizard attacking a huge moth in my room. (Long story, but these windows raise up into the attic and both the lizard and moth had come through the opening from the attic. I heard the fluttering one night and put the light on just in time to see the battle, but not in time to save the moth.) I immediately nudged the moth from its perch and then took several photos of the moth with his wings outspread (see top photo). Fearful of the lizard's intentions and worried that the prevailing wind was too strong still, I boxed up the moth for the night.
This morning, the lizard had disappeared and I let the moth go out into the predawn world. I watched him fly a bit spastically, and then I went to make a cup of coffee. I saw him flying some more as I looked out the kitchen window. Yes, he can fly pretty well now, but I worry about birds and lizards and cats that can catch him. How do these beautiful creatures ever survive???
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