Cecropia moth – Lee Duigon

Cecropia Moth. - Hyalophora cecropia - BugGuide.Net

Don’t let the picture fool you–this moth was HUGE!

My father liked to take his children with him when he had an errand. Our company was his pleasure.

A Reminiscence of My Father

Oh, how those memories touch me to the heart! Here’s just one of them.

Daddy parked on Main Street and went into Perry’s Store to buy something, while I waited in the car because he was only going to be a minute.

While I waited, the world’s biggest moth, I mean as big as your two hands put together, landed on the hood, right in front of me. Before I could collect my wits, it flew away; probably the car was too hot.

I can’t remember how I told my father what I’d seen. I think I might’ve been speechless.

Image result for images of green lynx spider

Linda was wondering about a spider she once encountered. Well, things do look bigger when we’re children, and maybe we don’t remember them with photographic accuracy. But Mr. Nature gave it a try, and he thinks he’s able to identify this big green hairy spider that surprised Linda when she was 12 years old.

Behold the Green Lynx Spider, the biggest green spider found in North America, inhabiting the southern U.S. It’s hairy, it roves around hunting its prey, and has a body a little over half an inch long–which is big for any spider that’s not a tarantula.

And you know how the mind works: if the average Green Lynx Spider’s body is .6 inches long, then there are probably bigger ones than that.

This reminds me of an even bigger bug–the Cecropia Moth. Now, sadly, growing rare.

Image result for images of cecropia moth

A moth in the hand is worth two in the bush

One pleasant summer day, my father left me in the car while he nipped into the store. As I sat there, suddenly something big came fluttering along to alight for a moment on the hood: a Cecropia Moth that looked to me, a 10-year-old, as big as a crow! It was the only one I’ve ever seen, but I’ll never forget it. It wasn’t really as big as a crow–it goes to show the limitations of eyewitness testimony.