Where I live
I rest where the air is warm and green, in forests of walnut, hickory, and sweetgum.
You may find me across the eastern parts of North America - from Canada to the Gulf, wherever the trees are generous and the nights are soft.
What I eat (and don’t)
When I was young - a plump green caterpillar with pale stripes and tiny spots - I ate the leaves of the trees I slept in.
But now, as a moth, I do not eat at all. I have no mouth.
My final form is for beauty, not for feeding.
I live only to float, to shimmer, to pass along the thread of life.
A fun fact about me
I have tails.
Long, silky, graceful tails on my hindwings - and they’re not just for show.
When a bat tries to catch me mid-flight, my tails confuse its echolocation.
In the dark, I become a ribbon the bat can’t quite follow.
My cousins
My family is full of winged wonders.
The Polyphemus Moth is much larger than I am and wears big, dramatic eyespots.
The Cecropia is a gentle giant, more chestnut than jade.
And the Io Moth - bold and golden - likes to flash her colours when startled.
But I am the one most like the moon - soft, pale, and here for only a moment.
What I hope you’ll remember
You don’t have to take, to have value. You don’t have to last forever, to matter.
I give no song, no honey, no harvest.
I offer only my presence - brief, beautiful, and full of wonder.
Let that be enough.
