Wild Life / bent-line dart moth

hiding

Hi, friends — It’s October 1st! Shout “RABBIT RABBIT” and get the good luck, if you dare. Or, cling quietly in tawny shades to the side of a tree like the bent-line dart moth. Sometimes hiding in plain sight is a virtue. — Amy Jean

“October began as new months are wont to do—their beginnings are perfectly modest and hushed, with no outward signs, no birthmarks. Indeed, they steal in silently and quite unnoticed, unless you are paying very strict attention.”

I’ve been reading Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain as slowly as humanly possible and was delighted to discover the passage above. New months do steal in silently, swiftly. Sending these newsletters is an effort toward attention and connection and timekeeping, too. Everything slips so quietly, softly, nearly unnoticed—not unlike the bent-line dart moth, which peaks in October.

What a month for a moth, as the leaf mold takes hold and ushers in fall. The bent-line dart moth (Choephora fungorum) is common in the eastern United States. I like that its name is a simple description: they have two bent lines on their wings and are pointy like a dart. What more is there to say?

Of course moths can be flashy, and the summer ones are rowdy banging against window screens. There are upwards of 12,000 species of moths in North America, living their transformative, miraculous lives.

Nature has its many strategies, and the little dart moth points another way. Sometimes it’s okay to go quite unnoticed, perfectly modest and hushed.

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Bent-line dart moth links—

• They are such unassuming creatures, the Internet does not know them well at all. It is kind of a relief! But I would always recommend BugGuide for the amazing collection of photos from everyone out there. [BugGuide.net]

Also—

• My little moth drawing is for sale. Some of the proceeds will go to the Xerces Society.

Annnnnd—

• I am entering some terrifically busy days with work travel. I may be sending shorter postcards in the months ahead. But I will not let the beginning of a month slip by!

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Wild Life #55 / this monthly newsletter is a place to learn about the life around us, one brown moth at a time. I do this because I’m not sure what to do about the millions of species in danger of extinction. It means something to see and enjoy the life around us. Thanks for being there and sharing with family and friends.