"May I borrow your house?" is the Mayan translations for Mah-Ha-Na. This is the name for the moth which often rests at night under the eaves of the house. The common name is Black Witch Moth, Ascalapha odorata.
Its wingspan can reach 7
inches. The wings are dark brown, and
both pairs are crossed by a series of alternating light and dark wavy lines.
There is often an iridescent blue cast over the wings. Females have
pinkish-white bands across the middle of both wings, whereas the males lack
these pale bands. In addition to the Hawaiian Islands,
they are common in the Caribbean, South and Central America and migrating
into the continental USA and southern Canada in the summer.
This moth lives in the tropical and subtropical forests where trees of the pea family grow. This includes acacias, albizia, cassia and samanea (monkeypod). The caterpillars feed on the foliage of these trees. The moth often flies great distances in only a few nights, hiding by day wherever it can find dense shade, frequently under the eaves of houses.
This moth lives in the tropical and subtropical forests where trees of the pea family grow. This includes acacias, albizia, cassia and samanea (monkeypod). The caterpillars feed on the foliage of these trees. The moth often flies great distances in only a few nights, hiding by day wherever it can find dense shade, frequently under the eaves of houses.
While they mostly fly during
the summer season, in the southern areas of the United States and in Hawaii, they
are also known to fly during late October, hence the
name Black Witch Moth.
