Mothra!!! June 13, 2011
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Cecropia moth, Luna moth, Mothra!
6 comments
Well, maybe not Mothra, but it was BIG!
I found this beautiful Luna moth (Actius luna) on the job the other day, and rescued it from its floundering on a busy sidewalk – the crew had poured concrete all night under bright lights, and I bet by the time I found it (7am,) it was exhausted:
I put it up in a tree, which it climbed like its tail was on fire, hence the soft focus. But at least it didn’t get Nike’d.
Then I found this guy (gal?) a bit later on:
It’s a Robin moth (Hyalophora cecropia,) the largest native moth in North America, with a wingspan in this case of about 6″. I put it in the same tree, and it honored my efforts by posing for me. I bet it gets its common name from its striking red breast:
…ya think? 
These were taken with my 24-105 L-series lens, dialed in so I didn’t have to crowd the little buggers. The depth of field missed the fluttering wings, but I wanted to lose most of the tree and background, so I’m not complaining.
But dang, that was a BIG moth!
