Black Moth – Meaning and Symbolism

For many years, the main belief in Mexico and other places in Latin America about the appearance of black butterflies is the announcement of the death of a loved one or it is a symbol of bad luck for those who meet one.

Many people even consider them as poisonous or guilty of blindness due to the dust that their wings give off, however, it is totally false since it only causes slight irritation.

If you look at them closely enough, you can see that they are actually extremely beautiful; its wings are purple, pink and green. In Texas, the United States, they say that if a black butterfly reaches the top of the doors or windows of a house, then there is a chance that it will win a prize or even the lottery.

Black Moth – Meaning

Spiders, bats, rats, and cockroaches often terrify anyone who sees them in front of them. But they are not the only ones that cause fear and chills, black butterflies also appear in this group.

The Ascalapha odorata or ‘butterfly of death’ has been the protagonist of the horror of many people for a long time and its presence has filled Latin American homes with superstitions.

However, this moth is innocent and its meaning may be more positive than you thought.

For many years, in Mexico and in much of Latin America, it is believed that its appearance announces the death of a loved one or is a symbol of bad luck to anyone it crosses.

In addition to being a ‘bad omen’ many people consider that it is poisonous or can cause blindness to people who come in contact with the dust from its wings. But it is totally false, in any case it can cause slight irritation.

According to information from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the butterfly is part of the Eribidae family and is a genus of moths that help pollinate plants and flowers at night.

They feed on fermented fruit juices and to protect themselves from predators they take refuge in the shade that is why it is common to see them on doors or corners of houses.

If you look at them closely and closely you will realize their peculiar beauty, where you can discover that their wings are full of purple, pink and green colors.

In various parts of Latin America seeing it means bad news that will come to your life. In Peru there is the legend of the Inca Huayna Cápac, who was in Quito when an unknown messenger approached him with a box, opened it, and moths flew around him.

It is said that they caused the epidemic that later would cause the death of the army and even of Huayna Cápac himself. Although historically it has been believed that they died from smallpox or measles.

Meanwhile, in the Bahamas and some Caribbean islands they are said to be bearers of good luck.

Similarly, in the United States, specifically in Texas, it is believed that if a black butterfly is placed on the top of doors or windows of a house it is possible that who lives there will win a prize or the lottery.

In addition to bringing good luck, they symbolize the path to the answers you were looking for. Also known as ‘old mice’ can appear to guide you in the direction that your relationships take, be they love, friendship or family.

On the other hand, if you are struggling to decide to forgive a person, seeing a moth will be a clear signal to leave your grudges behind and make passes.

They can also be a symbol of new beginnings or changes that are coming your way. These insects are not proven to be associated with negative events leading to deaths or accidents. Fears and superstitions have made thousands of specimens disappear and, therefore, their population has decreased.

The human being becomes urinated by this black butterfly, it will leave a worm on the skin. The black butterfly is cold-blooded, this is why they look for a warm environment to live in, they do not survive cold climates, and one of the key points for them to live is that there is a great source of food.

These beautiful specimens created by God, are undoubtedly wonders of nature, they are beautiful and admired by man and also for their transformation, that transition they have between an ugly worm and then a majestic black butterfly.

Just when I was observing, you can notice that a black butterfly entered the house, its size was regular, it was as if it were in its house, it stood on one of the blue walls and gave a beautiful enhancement of beauty to the decoration of in the living room.

On the living room table there were glasses placed I took them and I noticed that the black butterfly had two small white dots, at that moment he remembered what an old woman had told him in the vegetable market. At that moment the friend left ready to go and I did not take the butterfly into account.

After a few days the man says that a chilling cold invaded him in the place where he was when he could see on the news, the portrait of his friend together with that of his cousin, who had had a traffic accident and lost their lives.

The legend attributes to this black butterfly terrible magical powers, which cause the person who visits or who stands on it to die, if for some reason they try to kill this insect, according to mythology it will die that same night, that is, faster by Therefore, since there is no way to save themselves, they must only resign themselves to their destiny.

This story arises in Badalona, ​​a place in the north of Catalonia Spain, where there are several aspects of this myth,

Black Moth – Symbolism

The Ascalapta Adorata is a species that is involved in negative beliefs, especially for Latin American popular culture, which ensures that its mere presence is bad luck. This is why many people wonder: What do black butterflies really mean? Everything seems to indicate that far from the connotation of bad omen, they are of vital importance within nature.

Far from all these superstitions, the black butterfly is only an innocent moth, which feeds on fermented fruit. To protect itself from its main predators, including humans, it seeks shelter in shady places.

When you see them closely, you can notice their peculiar beauty, since their wings, which can measure 15 centimeters, have colors like purple, pink and green.

Even the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources in Mexico, through their social networks, was in charge of breaking down some myths around the black butterfly.

The superstition that associates the presence of black butterflies in houses with the proximity of death is not recent.

For its part, the texasento.net site clears up doubts about this dreaded insect by explaining that it is nothing more than a large moth or species of butterfly that belongs to the Noctuidae family.

Added to this, they indicate that it may well be the largest insect in northern Mexico, and that it is often mistaken for a bat, since it has a wingspan of up to 17 centimeters.

It is common for it to appear in wet and rainy seasons, and it has a habit of resting during the day and flying at night. They feed on tree sap and love fermented fruit. In other words, when entering the houses, he only seeks to protect himself.

But not in everyone, the Black Witch is associated with something negative. In fact in Japan it is a symbol of good luck. While in the Bahamas and Texas it is believed that it attracts money and the possibility of winning the lottery.

In Hawaii, although associated with death, its appearance has a happier connotation. If a relative has just died and the moth appears, they believe that it is the incarnation of his soul that returns to say goodbye.

In conclusion, you should not kill these butterflies because they scare you or you think they bring misfortune. Better give yourself the opportunity to appreciate their beauty, because although they seem they are not totally black, if you look at them carefully you could see iridescent colors such as green, pink and purple.

For many people, it is usually unlucky that a black butterfly crosses your side, since in their beliefs, it can symbolize death, so they avoid them above all else, because they believe, that it can mean death for themselves, or for loved ones.

But the following article is present, in order to talk much more about that, it is necessary to know its origin, its characteristics, and everything that has to do with the black butterfly. Finally, you can fall in love with them, knowing everything beautiful, and seeing beyond, the beliefs of many people.

Now let’s get into the subject they want to know, the black butterfly, what they are, where they belong, who they like, what are their threats and a little more below:

First, let’s learn a little about the butterfly in general, it belongs to the insect case, its scientific name is lepidoptera, its group is that of holometabolos, it has a particular reproduction phase, there are nocturnal and diurnal, within the species that cover this genus of insects we can also have moths, sphinxes, peacocks, among others.

Their mouth is particular, because when they are adults they feed on the nectar of the plants and the liquids of the flowers.

The shape of their tongue is like a roll, to have greater sensitivity and easily enter the flower from the position in which they are.

These beautiful particles feed at one stage of their life on any plant matter, such as flowers, leaves, the trunk, the fruits, but when it is adult, only the flowers as they take nectar, their habitat is very wide, they can be for all the land, but its taste is in forest-like and hot areas.

In order to reproduce, males and females are achieved thanks to flapping and by smell, when they achieve fertilization, the female comes to place up to thousands of eggs, in the plants the well-known larvae will be born there, which are called caterpillars, then they grow and it transforms into a chrysalis, here where they undergo changes and become the adult butterfly.

Now the black butterfly, as we well know is a lepidoptera, it has nocturnal habits, many of the cultures, myths and legends about this butterfly have created an environment around it of fear, because of everything that is said.

Her name in the English language is black witck, which they interpret as the black witch. Its scientific name is Ascalapta adorata, it is native to the Mexican country, and its name comes from a character in Greek mythology called Ascalaphus, who lived and accompanied Hades for a long time in his kingdom the underworld.

They can reach about sixteen centimeters, this is the males, because the females are smaller and more fragile. Because of their appearance and color, they are often confused with bats.

Their preferred diet is the banana, the fruit juices when they are fermented and the legume or mesquite plant. It is a moth with a more prominent size. They can cause illnesses and allergic reactions.

Depending on the angle where the light touches its wings, shades of pink, purple and even green can be seen.

Conclusion

According to a National Geographic article, since pre-Hispanic times it was linked to bad omens and was called mictlanpapalotl, micpapalotl and miquipapalotl, which meant butterfly from the country of the dead, death or bad luck. In English they call her Black Witch or black witch.

Its scientific name is Ascalapha odoratae, and it comes from Ascalaphus, the horticulturist of Hades, the king of the underworld in Greek mythology.

Hence, over time, the belief also arose that it was a mythological being called psychopomp, whose role is to lead the souls of the deceased to the afterlife, heaven or hell.