Georgia’s Rare Black Witches

By TERRY W. JOHNSON

One of the rarest moths seen in Georgia is the black witch. Ascalapha odorata is so unusual that even many folks who enjoy watching and photographing moths in the Peach State have never, or will ever, see one.

I had just about given up hope of catching a glimpse of a black witch until a few weeks ago when a friend called early one morning to ask if I wanted to see one trapped in his garage.

I could hardly believe what he was saying! I quickly dressed, grabbed my camera, jumped into the car and bee-lined it to his Monroe County home.

When I arrived, he ushered me into the garage and pointed to a very large moth resting on the windshield wipers of his car. My seemingly impossible quest to see a black witch was over.

Almost as remarkable, a mutual friend had found one roosting under a shed roof near her home in neighboring Lamar County only days before. She later spotted at least two more black witches.

There are three reasons why this moth is so special: It is extremely large, can travel long distances and is the subject of a host of legends. …

To read more about these big, fascinating moths, see Terry's full "Out My Backdoor" column.

Terry W. Johnson is a retired DNR program manager and executive director of TERN, friends group of DNR's Wildlife Conservation Section. Terry writes a monthly column for DNR's Georgia Wild e-newsletter. Check out past columns and his blog. And if you're not a subscriber to Georgia Wild, sign up to receive this free newsletter each month.

Top: Black witch moth in Monroe County (Terry W. Johnson)