The Truth About Mothman

Mothman Begins, Mixed media, 2019
The Amazing Mothman, Digital, 2019

Here are some thoughts after reading The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel.

♫ ♪ ♪ Moth-a-man…moth-a-man

sometimes ‘e can ♫ ♪

♪ make lots o’ dust

but it’s he – you surely trust ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ WATCH OUT! wing-flappin Mothman ♫ ♪ ♪

♪ So what’s he do? 

see for yourself ♪

♫ he’ll knock your lamp

right off your shelf ♫

♪ Can he fly high as a jet?

I’d really like to say you bet ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ WHOA THERE! A big ol’ guy – Mothmaaan ♫ ♪ ♪

♫ ♪ ♪♫ ♪ ♪ On a dark august niiiight

there’s lots on his plate ♫ ♪ ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ and hes drawn to the liiight

so that crime-fight’ll hafta wait ♫ ♪ ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♪ Mothman… ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ sometimes he nearly caaan! ♫ ♪ ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♪ Mothman… ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♪

♫ ♪ ♪ sometimes he nearly caaan! ♫ ♪ ♪

Eight Legged Friends ♥

Arachnida is a class of arthropods (within the subphylum Chelicerata) that includes spiders, scorpions and the handful of remaining lesser-known orders that are unique and underappreciated.

The order Solifugae (depicted here eating a slice of pizza) is one of my personal favourite Arachnid orders. Spiders will always be my #1, but Solpugids will always hold a special place in my heart with their prickly nubs and beady little eyes.

Solpugids are also known as :

  • Camel Spiders
  • Wind Scorpions
  • Solifuges
  • Sun Spiders
  • False Spiders
  • Roman Spiders
  • Jerrymanders
  • Children of the Earth
  • Eyambulohungi (the one who breaks the meeting up)
  • Otjibiryanguari (moving without purpose)
  • Vet vretters (fat eaters)
  • Jagspinnekoppe (chasing spiders)
  • Walzenspinnen (road rollers)
  • Haarskeerders (hair cutters)
  • “The Kalahari Ferrari”

Arachnologist Dr. Paula Cushing’s “The Truth About Camel Spiders” not only enlightened me about the many cheeky aliases of the elusive arachnids, but it proved to be a thoroughly fascinating in-depth lecture on these curious little crawlies that deserve some positive attention (for once!).