nanonaturalist:

At last! My tiny fluffy teddy bear moths have arrived!

My first southern flannel moth adult emerged from his cocoon this morning. You may remember my previous posts of them: as caterpillars, they are the most adorable fluffy shy hairballs who are also so venomous their stings are considered the most painful kind you can get in North America.

They were so cute and I wanted to hold them SO BAD but the closest I could get was stroking the side of the tank while I wept over how life was so cruel to deny me the joy of holding these sweet babies.

Well, my first sweet baby is here. A boy: his antennae are feathered to detect the scent females let out to attract mates. I knew they were small, but I was still surprised to see this tiny baby. Every surface is covered in fluffy fur.

His little black boots. His fluffy bum. His orange mustache 😭

I’m not going to lie. I kissed him. He is perfect.

Cocoon made July 6, emerged August 8, 2017