By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
One day a funeral director friend of mine, about 20 years ago, called me and said he had a surprise for me. He wanted me to come down to the funeral home and receive my surprise. I was a little hesitant because a surprise at a funeral home didn’t seem very fabulous to me. As a matter of fact, it was even intimidating. But I trusted this fella with his voice full of joy and excitement.
I was really not sure what to expect at all. And so I went. Gleaming, he handed me a gift bag. I shuffled around the crinkly paper and pulled out a frame. It was a gorgeous hand carved frame with what looked like tribal cuts and designs. It was a 10×13 frame like a shadow box. Mounted in the middle was a huge moth! It looked familiar to me and I was sure it was an Atticus atlas moth. I had seen photos of this moth in encyclopedias and other books about moths and butterflies.
As I studied it closely he proceeded to tell me the story. He had been in Florida and was seeking a home for his retirement. Among his adventures he came across a yard sale. He spied this crazy huge moth in this incredible hand carved frame and knew he had to buy for me. “Wow that was so thoughtful”, I interjected. He said, “I won’t tell you how little I paid for it, it’s embarrassing but I thought of you immediately and knew you would love it”.
I have always been so humbled when friends and acquaintances alike tell me when they see a butterfly they think of me. And often times, an item is just too irresistible for them to pass up because they know I will love it so much. Then I get to enjoy their finds.
I finished my visit there with Danny and took this prize gift home. I took it back out and admired it closer. I noticed above the specimen, neatly handwritten, were the words Papillio polytes. Then I questioned myself on the identification of this moth. I sifted through my recollections. But I knew any name that starts with Papillio means it is in the swallowtail family. But I knew this was not a butterfly and it certainly was not a swallowtail. I knew enough back then to know it was labeled wrong.
A month or two went by (likely a moth or two as well) and I was invited to do a display at Wildlife Diversity Day at the WV state capital. Of course, I brought this lovely piece and other framed tropical butterflies that I had received as gifts in the 80s from foreign exchange students we hosted in my youth. An entomologist colleague of mine was also attending the event. I showed him this intriguing moth labeled wrongly.
He said this is definitely an Atticus atlas. He continued, “as a matter of fact they are illegal to have in the United States. I would hide that away and not let anyone else know you have it. It is deliberately labeled wrong so the smugglers could get it through customs. Because the custom workers are not going to know any different, especially with it being mounted and labeled as a swallowtail. Yeh, put that away and don’t show it to anyone else.”
Haha….. WHAT??? Yikes! I was all the sudden struck with fear, after all I was standing in the state capital building with this contraband. Goodness. And of course, I was so glad it was a friend and someone knowledgeable who broke the news to me instead of the bailiff around the corner!
I never told my friend Danny. It would have broken his heart. And to think he carried it across so many state lines from Florida to WV. But I think he flew. Even still. What an ordeal. So, I kept it in my study downstairs. You see the Atticus atlas moth is the largest moth in the world. It is only found in Asia. And it is protected there. The female has a larger wingspan than the male ranging from 11 to 12 inches wide and 8 to 9 inches high. It is a huge moth. As long as a ruler. And if you think of a piece of paper that is 8×10 and imagine it in the shape of moth….well that is what this thing looks like.
So why am I publicly talking about this? You see, about 10 years ago, a mouse found this specimen and was able to chew through the paper backed frame. It ate the age old body(I’m sure that was drier than a cracker) and tore up the wings in the process. I would have mounted the wings separately. I was so mad. I was very sad. It was a secret treasure. But it is no more. I was also relieved. I no longer had to hide this gifted contraband. Saved by a mouse I guess.
The frame remains. I will always see the world’s largest moth inside it. In my memory of it, it is there forever.
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