ksquest

I love bugs of all kinds. Butterflies and moths are way high on my list. They're up there with praying mantises and dragonflies - right below wasps.

Being raised by a scientist dad and a writer mom who encouraged such interests, I've been playing with the little critters all my life. I never understood people who screamed at the sight of a bug. They'll do this without even looking first! Only one in eighteen million times is there any cause for any kind of alarm, much less a silly scream.

No, I'm with the crowd who says, *Cuter than a bug in a rug!*

When I was nine or ten, I found a big beautiful cocoon, and took it into my room to see what it would do.

It did nothing.

For a long time, it just sat there in its jar, not moving. Not hatching.

I must have forgotten about it after a while. And either forgot to put a lid on it, or left the lid off on purpose so it could breathe really well.

With such parents, we were also taught to be skeptical of things like ghosts.

But concepts like that stay with us, especially late at night. When it's very dark, and very quiet. When a little child is awakened from a deep sleep by an odd sound.

When I saw this enormous greenish white glow-in-the-dark thing flying around my room, I screamed.

Very loudly.

I screamed something unintelligible about a ghost.

My mother came dashing up the stairs to my rescue. I believe she was explaining to me that there's no such thing as a ghost, when she saw the Thing fluttering around the dark, dark room.

I don't actually remember if she jumped a bit. But she knew it wasn't a ghost.

By now I expect you've figured out it was that luna moth. It had hatched, and climbed out of its pupa and cocoon, and pumped its new wings all sleek and strong, and commenced to fly around. It must have made some noise in the process, which woke me up.

I've loved luna moths especially much ever since.

One day many years later, at a friend's place out in the swamp around Micosukee, Florida, I saw one flying around outside by a light. I quick got my camera and tripod. My friend was completely skeptical about such picture-taking at night, of a skittery wild thing no less.

Let me rephrase that: He was laughing at my plans. Snorting and sneering, he was! He said, --You're wasting your time and your film, they'll never turn out. He was a very quiet, laid back sort of guy. But his opinion was loud and clear.

I explained to him it was in his best interest to be quiet for me and let me have my fun. That's a paraphrase, there.

When I showed him the pictures later on, he was a perfect gentleman, and fell all over himself apologizing most handsomely. He never threw cold water on my photographic endeavors again.

This picture is my favorite one of the series.