Imperial Moth

Charlie--who is not especially bright.

Wing-span approx. 4 inches.

I came in from pegging sheets on the line to find a cluster of cats at the end of the hallway.

They were hovering with that peculiar intentness of felines closing in on prey.

J. looked up from his laptop and muttered to the effect that he'd seen--from the corner of his eye--Charlie scooting down the hall with an interested group in pursuit.

Pushing the cats aside I discovered an Imperial Moth--alive, but only just.

I carried it out into the daylight and realized from the faded colors and tatty wings that it was on its last day--no doubt had fluttered into the cat yard and become easy grabbing, even for a cat like Charlie the Buffoon, who is never quick on the mark.

I left the lethargic moth on a clump of thyme and went about dragging the hose around to water plants on the front porch.

When I returned to shut down the water spigot the moth was moving over the shady grass, wobbly, but not ready to expire in my herb garden.

I brought out my camera and snapped a sequence of photos as the moth progressed--quite steadily--up the trunk of a box elder tree.

I had the camera on macro setting hoping the moth would stand out sharply from the grey of the tree bark.

As I increased the zoom, camera shake blurred the images.

An hour later the moth was still visible, clinging to a leafy twig.

Close-up taken as the moth gripped the bark and started up the box-elder.

Charlie--taking his ease in the cat yard.