Splendor

Now how lucky am I?! There are apparently only two giant moths in NC, and I have seen both in the past two weeks! First I saw the beautiful green Luna moth while kayaking. Then yesterday, when I picked Asherel up from the college, I saw a Polyphemus! He was dead, but completely whole and still quite beautiful. I gathered him in my hands, and when Asherel came out of her class, I showed her.

"Shall I leave him on this bench to wow the other students?" I asked.
"Well, I don't know if they will be wowed, but sure," she answered.
So I perched him on the bench with his beautiful span of enormous wings with the eyespot design on them. He was resplendent. Adult Polyphemus live only 4 days maximum! I knew it was a "he" because he had fringed antennae. Females have slender antennae.

I learned later that the females' antennae are designed to receive the pheromones of the male up to a mile away! However, if by some chance the unlucky Polyphemus does not manage to attract a male, she lays her unfertilized eggs anyway. After all, she only has four days. I presume it is an exercise in futility.

The design of all creation never ceases to amaze me. It is so exquisite and in such a delicate balance. Had that gorgeous male Polyphemus found a mate in the 4 short days allotted to him? It doesn't seem nearly long enough to me, but God in His infinite wisdom deemed it just the right amount of time for a Polyphemus. We are all given a finite moment to do what we have been called to do. We all need to use our time wisely, and gloriously, rising on the breeze with beautiful wings spread to capture the winds of abundant life!

I positioned the dead Polyphemus in the center of the bench, and spread his wings so their full gorgeous expanse would be seen. Maybe someone else would pass by and marvel at the wonder of creation, pause to thank the Creator, and also wish they had seen that magnificent creature alive, fluttering across the sky.

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Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. (Psalm 111:3 ESV)

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