Sunsets and sunrises in Port Heiden have been some of the most memorable moments in all my time here. I’ve had a blast photographing the days’ starts and ends, but something special happened one eve in May.
As I got ready to go outside and take some pictures of a soon-to-be vibrant sunset, I noticed a little moth on the screen of my bedroom window. We shall probably never know the gender of that little insect, but I immediately identified it as a “he” and named him “Bug Buddy” for the few minutes of solar descent.
I’ve never taken the opportunity to appreciate moths before, but Bug Buddy’s placement on the window screen was pretty cool. I researched moths later, as I wasn’t sure if he was a butterfly or moth. Turns out moths are typically fuzzier and lack the thin antennae of their butterfly kin.
Bug Buddy, upon further reflection, was definitely a moth. And quite a handsome one that eve.
His wing membranes were highlighted by the sun’s waning rays. The fuzzy feather-shaped antennae and segmented arthropod exterior popped vividly against the window screen, creating a neat little grid to study his buggy form.
Yet, all good things must come to an end and eventually Bug Buddy wandered off to do mothy things in mothtastic ways.
I’m not sure, since entomology is not my forte, but I think Bug Buddy was a Zale Lunata moth. Whatever sort of moth he was though, it was fun sharing a sunset with him.
Bug Buddy, wherever you are or aren’t (some moths have pretty short lifespans and they have predators aplenty), thanks man.
I’ve kept an eye out for Bug Buddy since then, to no avail. While a different moth did pay me a visit in July, it just wasn’t the same.
As they say, “tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
Alaska: Village to Village 