I received a flickr link from Richard (my nephew) the other day showing his pics of an Oleander Hawk Moth resting on the Santan flower in my mom's small garden. It is so different from moths that I normally see and thus I cannot help but wonder about said creature.As you can see from the pic the moth's wings sports a very interesting design. Color is grayish green with blotches of white and has a pinkish band across the middle section. On the base of the fore wings is a circular pattern and mimic eyes that seem to stare at you. I guess it is the insect's defense mechanism to make itself more intimidating to larger animals.
It has relatively large eyes, large head and its hind wings have a very unusual shape as if it has been carefully cut or curved. It kinda reminds me of Batman's boomerang or more aptly called "bat-arang".
Based on the website of the Australian Museum, Hawk Moths comprise of around 850 known species wherein the most diverse varieties are present in tropical countries. And that, most Australian species also occur in Southeast Asia. For all we know, this moth in our garden might been an Aussie! Hi mate! He he.
What fascinates me most about this oleander hawk moth however is the way it flies. Actually it hovers more than it glides. And unlike most moths, it is not active during the day. It is nocturnal and thus feeds only at night. When my mom and nephew saw it at the garden it was still morning and when I arrived home it was still there. However, the morning after, we can no longer find it. Awww too bad! I wanted to see more of how it behaves and putting it in a bottle or cage crossed my mind. However, I scratched the thought as captivity might just lead to its death.I remember the time when my kuya used to collect cocoons of mariposa from the santol tree at the back of our house in Pateros. He would keep it for weeks in a bottle with cotton balls as its bedding. We would observe the progress of the pupa on a daily basis and get excited when we sense any movement. Sometimes we set it against the light so that we can see through the cocoon. Being kids though we would get impatient and cut the end of the casing in order to help the moth to emerge. However, the more that we help the more that the moth fails to get out. It would wither and die with crumpled wings.
Nowadays, it is very seldom that we see moths and butterflies even dragonflies. There were three varieties of them that I remember; 1) the "tutubing karayom" which has a body as thin as a needle (obvious ba?), they are easy to catch but not exciting to look at. 2) the usual "tutubi" wherein the body is larger than the karayom one, has a helicopter like head and comes in blue, green and yellow colors. I would try to catch them testing my patience, swiftness and steadiness of my hands and 3) the "tutubing kalabaw" which is the largest of the three and is usually brown or dark red in color. But no, it not as big as a carabao (pilosopo naman kayo!). It is just relatively big compared to the other two and during those days any big creature is associated with a carabao. (ewan kung bakit).
Back then they were plenty in our school grounds and in gardens. Catching them was a sort of ritual during recess and after classes. It was a kind of meditation for me. Everything else seems to freeze when I put my focus into getting one by the wings between my thumb and index finger. And the satisfaction of letting it fly again is incomparable. It is a pity that kids no longer see some or even just one up close. Swerte na pag may naligaw!
I just hope that we can preserve more of these creatures as they do help plants propagate and continue the greening of the planet. Who wants a dry and lifeless world? I don't!
