Moths that drink tears

KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH

12 years ago

I was doing some Googling and came across a website for people who are afraid of moths and butterflies:

http://www.ihatebutterflies.com/

They have a forums section so I was poking around. Someone had posted an article about moths that drink tears. I find this fascinating. There are two pictures. Be sure to enlarge them. The moth is wild looking and so is its proboscis.

Since I started with the IHateButterflies website, story time:

I took a luna moth to my kids' swim lessons on Wednesday because I have a cousin there that wanted to see it. After her grandkids were done with their lessons, I was letting her grandkids hold the moth on their fingers. The moth decided to fly and landed on the lifeguard tower. The lifeguard was standing next to the tower and was terrified of the moth (my cousin had to calm the lifeguard down). I got the luna back and tried to let the grandson hold it again. This time the luna flew across the pool (I was afraid it was going to end up in the pool) and landed on the butt of a woman wearing a swimsuit and holding a small child. I then became aware of how many people were watching all this because lots of laughter erupted. I started walking around the pool, wondering how I was going to start a discussion with this woman about how my moth was on her butt and how I wished to remove it. Well, before I got close, some kids in the pool alerted her to the fact that a moth was on her butt. A small kid tried to get it. The woman twisted her head round, saw the moth and started to panic. I started running and yelling that it would not hurt her. She started swatting at her butt and the moth flew off unharmed. Thankfully, I don't think she ever heard me so I was able to slink back to the other side of the pool without having to converse with her. The story was talk of the pool the next day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moths drink the tears of sleeping birds

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Comments (11)

Ament
12 years ago
Wow! That is so interesting! I'd have never heard of that before either. Thank you for sharing new information. :) I love to learn new things. *g*

~Tina Marie
bettyd_z7_va
12 years ago
Poor KC,

I don't know if you meant this to be funny or not, but I was shaking with laughter at the picture in my mind of you trying to figure out how to 'splain' why you had an interest in her back-side!

AND the look of relief on your face when you were off of the hook and could escape unnoticed!

You were totally innocent, but your moth was putting you in a very uncomfortable situation!

Thanks for the laugh,
Betty
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KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
Original Author
12 years ago
It is a funny story since the moth was unharmed.

Another funny is making the rounds. A praying mantis became part of a baseball game this week. The link I'm posting is the best clip collection of it I've found but if you go on YouTube and search "praying mantis marlins" there is a lot more footage. Thankfully the game was pretty much a blowout so the the funny mantis side story got a lot of coverage during the broadcast.

After the game, Logan Morrison tweeted:
Ã¢ÂÂLoMo fears no man. Bugs on the other hand Ã¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ

Praying mantis is my favorite insect. My kids love them too. My wife is terrified of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Mantis Game
Ament
12 years ago
Yes That was very funny, I love the luna moths so much. I've never seen one face to face. Surely wish I'd been there! They are so gorgeous! :) I'm glad the luna didn't come to any harm. *g*
And the laugh is always worth it too KC hehe Did you get pictures from that day? I'd love to see them if you did!

~Tina Marie
KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
Original Author
12 years ago
TM,

If anyone took pictures or video, I did not hear about it. The swim lessons continue on Monday so I'll ask around.

Found another funny story on the IHateButterflies site. Weird Al had a concert invaded by large green moths. Sure sounds like lunas but I could not find any pictures of the event. A link to the USA Today story is at the bottom. Looks like a CNN version had the best info but it does not exist anymore. Found this blurb on a Weird Al blog:

//
A few nested permanently on his famous long brown locks and appeared to be eating his black pants. Showing the mark of good taste Yankovic prides himself on losing, the insects left his trademark checkered canvas shoes and flamboyant Hawaiian shirt untouched.

"My band asked me if I could find a concert where would be attacked by insects," he joked with the crowd. "I said I would see what I could do."
//

Here is a link that might be useful: Swarm of moths rush stage at Weird Al show
MissSherry
12 years ago
Hehehe! I would have loved to see you take the moth off her rear! :)
It's kind of creepy that moths would drink tears, but we all know butterflies like their salt, so I guess moths are no different.
Sherry
Ament
12 years ago
Haha! It's so funny watching that video of that big bloke flippin' out about the mantis! *giggles* I just love it!
butterflymomok
12 years ago
Didn't get around to reading this post until this evening. Sounds like you had quite an adventure at the swimming pool! I have a little friend who always loves the butterflies. She attends a special school, and she invited me to come speak to her class. Later, she came with her mom to a kid's presentation I did at a local nursery. Thinking she would be fine with me putting a Monarch on her nose (using juice to get it to stay), it became obvious that I was totally freaking her out. I put the Monarch on a little boy's nose instead. He loved it. Next time I saw my little friend, I apologized to her.

Sandy
larry_gene
12 years ago
Perhaps people prefer their luna moths on Lunesta commercials.

Once I collected a golden buprestid beetle off the shoulder of a woman in a public rose garden. It hadn't started crawling on her yet, so I spared her some swatting.
bananasinohio
12 years ago
I had read a while ago that scientists think some puddling behavior will evolve to "biting" behavior in butterflies and moths. Now, I have found one. Freaky! The moth in the link below has evolved a proboscis that can pierce sking and drink blood. They think this is how mosquitos evolved to drink blood too. Yikes!
-Elisabeth

Here is a link that might be useful: vampire moths
butterflymomok
12 years ago
Unreal!

Moths that drink tears

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