got back from an errand & well earned reward of coffee & migas from Tiny's # 5 when I spotted this somewhat battered Ascalapha odorata tucked into my front patio corner
this species is the largest Lepidoptera native to Texas & one I remember seeing in Philly's Academy of Natural Sciences as a kid many times
this critter is nocturnal & very unusual north of Victoria
many legends surround this fabulous creature, not all cheerful
Central Americans call it "Mariposa de la Muerte" & Jamaicans "Duppy Bat"
I pushed the color, in an effort to correct its unfortunate moniker
no way this beauty's black