Moth Moments

About one and a half weeks ago, I saw this white moth. I had first thought that she hatched out of the black chrysalis that is to the left of her and that she was just hanging out on the porch to allow her wings to harden before she could fly off.

But she was still there the following day. And when I saw the egg casing that was growing underneath her, I realized the error of my assumptions.

She was there the following day, showing no signs of moving, and no sign of stopping her egg-laying process.

By now I was hooked. I was curious about the egg-laying process, fascinated by how so many eggs could fit inside that small body. The egg casing could have easily weighed twice her weight.

It's a slow process that has been taking several days.

This picture was taken this morning, about 11 days after I discovered Mama Moth on my porch.

She's still going at it. When will this process end?

And when it does end, so will Mama Moth's life.

It's amazing ~ and a bit sad ~ to think that some creatures' lives are solely geared towards reproduction and that their fleeting lives end immediately upon the completion of their life purpose.

Birth. Reproduction. Death.

That is a moth's life.

How fortunate we are as human beings to have long wide pauses, filled with countless events and rites of passage, in between these very defined states.