SEPTEMBER 2024
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They are Not Butterflies.
Jimena H.
A few weeks ago you might have noticed that there was an abundance of brown "butterflies" flying around the school or even inside classrooms. The truth is that these are not butterflies; they are actually moths, or more specifically, Black Witch Moths. These moths are native to the Southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and Brazil. They feed on overripe fruit like bananas. The males generally have a very dark brown color on their wings while females have lighter brown with a white streak across theirs. What's interesting about this moth is that they are many times bigger than the typical moths you might see around normally. Generally in the insect kingdom, females tend to be larger than males, and these moth females tend to be 24 cm from the tip of the wing to the other, while males tend to be 12 cm in width.
What are the myths and legends behind these moths?
Many countries, including many Latin American ones, have different legends and myths surrounding this specific species of moth:
Jamaica — Duppy bat
They believe that this moth is the embodiment of a lost soul or soul that cannot not rest in peace.
Brazil — Mariposa-bruxa, mariposa-negra, bruxa-negra, e bruxa.
They have the belief that this moths bring bad luck because if they go inside a home then it signals a resident of that house will soon perish.
Paraguay and Argentina — Ura
There it is believed that they urinate and leave worms on the skin of people and animals.
Mexico — ?
In some parts of Mexico, there is the belief that if this moth flies over your head, you will become bald.
However, don't fear the next time you see them. At the end of the day, myths and legends are popular traditional stories that have not been proven true, and there is absolutely no evidence that these creatures harm humans or that they would do the things those myths say they do. So, next time you see one—probably next year since they appear between spring and summer—try to take a moment to appreciate it and its beauty!
Male Black Witch Moth
Female Black Witch Moth
I also wish to share my love of insects. Currently, moths are my second favorite insects out there—personally, I think moths are way cuter than butterflies. (Look up "silk moth faces" for cute photos online!!) As someone who has learned how to catch and handle moths, I can say that they feel fluffy and smooth. However, you should not try to catch one of these creatures if you don't know the right way to do it! They are very fragile, especially their wings, and you could easily make them incapable of flying, even on accident, so hear my warnings before you do anything!
This school year, I have caught around 8 to 12 Black Witch Moths, and I have pictures of me with two of them!
Fun fact! There is a larger moth out there called the Atlas Moth! They're actually my favorite species of moth.
Works Cited
“Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata) · iNaturalist.” iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/61503-Ascalapha-odorata. Accessed 18
September 2024.
Keffer, Ken, et al. “Black Witch Moths: A Night-Time Trick or Treat.” Cool Green Science, 12 October 2020,
https://blog.nature.org/2020/10/12/black-witch-moths-a-night-time-trick-or-treat/. Accessed 18 September 2024.
“Oxford Languages and Google - English | Oxford Languages.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
Accessed 18 September 2024.
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