Moth

Usually I am annoyed with moths, for spoiling my flour or eating little holes in my sweaters, or for blundering around a room at night time. However, these moths, there were about 20 different types trapped temporarily by the local natural history society, were beautiful. The girls were captivated by the intricate black, white and brown patterns on their wings and the variety in size, colour and shape. This hawk moth sitting on A’s hand, swooped off to settle in a shady tree, becoming indistinguishable from the crinkled, dangling leaves. We were invited to the barn to meet the young calves, who gazed at us curiously with their gentle black eyes and, to the girls delight, licked and suckled at our fingers.