Enduring Veterans day, I went to the little grave yard down the street to plant some flowers.
After I had dug and planted the flowers around the rock; I found something on the top of the ground. It was beautiful deep brown and shiny enough to be mistaken for a wooden bead or a small wooden object. So me being the curious type, picked it up with the spoon and pokes it with a stick. Part of me was wondering if it really was a bug or not.
But it moved the round part of it. I thought, "Is that it’s butt?" I was intrigued and instead of putting it back, I decide to take it home. Of course I put it in a cup to look up on the net what kind of borrowing insect or worm it was in my old insect book. I had never seen anything like it before and I was under the impression cocoons stuck to trees-not laid on grounds. I took it in my room and proceeded to look for a borrowing insects or worms that were big and fat and looked like a worm on the internet. But I couldn't find anything.
So I turned my Computer off and pulled a peace of cloth with the elastic over it because I didn't want my cat to knock it over. After that i went to bed.
The next day I was going to put it outside some where. But the week got a hold of me with my daily chores taking up the time I needed to bring it outside and find a suitable rock to hide it under. So the mystery insect stayed in the cup. After another week, I took the cloth off the cup and poked this critter as I wondered if it was alive. Sure enough it wiggled a little as if to lazily fight off a predator.
I replaced the cloth and decided to leave it in the cup since it had been raining here in Meriden, Connecticut for some time. I didn't want what ever that was in the cup to drown outside.
After that I honestly almost forgot about it until my cat hopped up on my chair and noticed a fluttering in the cup. He was staring right at the cup as if fascinated. Then I heard it fluttering and picked the cup up and a huge moth was inside.
Of course I went to let it free, but it was raining outside again. So I set the cup on it’s side under the light until I went to bed. I could hear the moth fluttering all night as it's flutter was much stronger then a typical moth.
The next morning I waited until it wasn't raining. I took it outside and removed the cloth and set it free as i do with all the insects i usually find inside the house. It took some coaxing because I think it was sleeping so I tipped the cup a little until it slid out. It flew and landed on the mint bush to finally fully stretch it's wings. As it did; I had a good look of it’s over and under wings. I should have thought about bringing my camera and tried to run through the house to snatch my camera because this was a magnificent beautiful giant of a moth. But the moth had taken flight before I could take a photo.
Based on memory I had told my mother about the winged insect and we looked for the moth in the book again. But it wasn't listed. So I told her I would look on the internet. I came across this site and found the moth and confirmed it was that exact species by looking at the adult moth stage and it’s cocoon or pupae stage on Bill Oehlke's site.
Although I do not have pictures or videos of it, I enjoyed the experience. I thank this site for having the information to verify that this is what I had stumbled upon. Thank you very much for verifying the species . The wife’s name is Judith born into adulthood on June 8th, 2009 and was set free on June 9th, 2009.
I feel like an instant mommy. lol
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