Remember the big Imperial moth I saw at the feed mill? I saw a different one there this week:
It's called a Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth. It totally pooped on me.
The underside.
Wait until you see what the caterpillar for this thing looks like:
Wikipedia photo. The caterpillar is called a Hickory Horned Devil. Is it possible to have an insect bucket list? I would LOVE to see one of these.
The Amish gentleman that was loading my chicken feed said that they get all sorts of interesting and unusual moths on the walls outside of the building and a lot of people take pictures of them. The mill is in the middle of farm land and usually smells delicious so this makes total sense. Like fresh grain and molasses.
This is the other interesting insect from a place that was not so fresh smelling, in the weeds beside our trash bin.
An American Carrion Beetle.
When I was younger, like 12, my favorite book was an antique field guide to insects and insect behavior. Wish I still had that book or remembered the title because I was obsessed with it.
Does anyone collect insects? Or pull out a field guide when they see something new? I can see this being something the little guy and I get into when he's older. We could mount them for a display or take a photo collection of our finds.
My kids would love that caterpillar - I'd be worried about the damage it could do...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it could take down a small animal; I mean they're huge, right?
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