Thursday 8 April 2010

Puriri Moth

 It pays to always have your camera handy.   A few nights ago a friend and I were wandering in the half light towards a movie theatre when a man approached us with his hand extended as if he wanted us to look at it.  Which, of course, we did.  At first I thought it was a small green frog (the light was very dim, it shows a lot clearer in the photo).


At the time we thought it was a Kauri Moth but it has since been identified as a Puriri Moth.  They bore holes in large trees, mainly the puriri.  Like most moths they come out at night, and they only live for a few days.  They are not exactly beautiful creatures but they are a distinctive green colour and quite large for a moth, really.



At least seeing the moth was interesting which is more than I can say for the movie we went to see - "Leaving".  My friend and I must be terribly lacking in sensitivity - we came away laughing from a film that was supposed to portray an undeniable passion which lead to a tragic end. 

Give me a good moth any day!

3 comments:

  1. Pauline, there are some gorgeous moths, this is one of them.

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  2. I'm with Adrian on this one. I would dearly love to see a Puriri Moth (preferably at rest like this one) and an Emperor Moth and a Tree of Heaven Silk Moth.

    By the way, did you know that a Puriri Moth doesn't have a mouth?

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  3. Saw one of these moths in a campsite shower floor 16/1/15 so took it outside and let it go, not a great flyer in daylight.

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