This is a category that I haven’t reawakened in some two and a half years, but a close encounter a couple of weeks ago urged me to pick up the thread again. It is dedicated to my imagination, which sometimes permits me to think I can see the likeness of a face in some aspect of the natural world. And, as I said, it’s been some time since I found one. We have a sweet autumn clematis (Clematis paniculata) that grows up the post on which our mailbox perches, and if we don’t trim it back occasionally, it would engulf the whole structure. Insects love the flowers (as do we), and I often stand next to it and study its depths to see what new visitor might have decided to spend some time there. I spied this little moth a few inches in from the outermost blossoms and hoped it would wait for me to fetch my camera and tripod. It turned out to be a patient one and it was still there when I
returned, and remained so while I spent a happy quarter of an hour trying to see how close I could get before it became uncomfortable with my proximity. But even when I was within
quite intimate macro range, I didn’t notice what resembled a face on its dorsal thorax—this didn’t happen until I was check- ing extreme zooms to pick out the most detailed of several similar shots that I’d made in a series while waiting for absolute absence of the breeze that was causing the flowers to bob and weave around. It’s vaguely reminiscent of the one on the death’s head moth that appears on the poster for the film Silence of the Lambs, but quite a bit more gentle and, at the same time, definitely more alien-looking. What do you think? (If you click on the About Face category, you will be able to see my three previous posts on the subject.) I’m sorry, but I don’t know the moth’s name. Anyone?
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Yes it does look like an alien. I kinda like your hobby.
Thanks for your support–I really like it a lot!
Like the category. Can definitely see the face, and there IS something sweet about it.. I think it’s the cheeks and the eyes. Well, and the mouth is very expressive, too. :-)
I see a hint of an innocent, baby-like smile, and I agree, there is a sweet aspect. I’m delighted that you share my imagination!
That middle photo is just heavenly. Maybe that’s an odd word to use, but it just popped into my head when I was looking at these beautiful whites and vibrant greens with this delicate cream/brown moth clinging to the flower. So beautiful!
Thank you, Laura! I was surprised and delighted to find it nestled in like this and lucky that it stayed put for me. I’m working on an identification.
I see a Japanese woman, perhaps a geisha, with the traditional “doughnut” style hair on either side, with the ‘falls’ as decoration. I tried and tried to surface a photo showing the real thing, but apparently I wasn’t using the right terms. I either got modern photos, or dim sum. Ah, well.
It’s a fun photo of the moth, and those are some beautiful flowers it’s found. I do enjoy the insect-and-flower pairings that pop up.
There’s also the squash blossom hairdo of the American Southwest:
http://tinyurl.com/gwcxaz3
That’s it! I wasn’t just using the wrong search terms, I was searching in the wrong culture. I had the image in my mind, but just couldn’t match it. Thanks!
Thanks to both of you for the excellent interest and research. So that’s where the inspiration for Leia’s ‘do came from! (Further, Linda, I salute your imagination. I had never seen the moth’s eyes as part of the face, i.e., a hairdo.)
That middle image is a stunner. Easy to see the face and it does look rather impish too.
Impish–I really like that, Vicki!
If we can recast Paul Simon: pareidolia strikes deep in the heartland.
Sometimes you scare me, Steve.
Nothing to be scared of, Gary. Are you familiar with the Paul Simon reference?
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/paulsimon/haveagoodtime.html
But of course–I’m surprised you thought you had to ask. I’ve been a Paul Simon fan for as long as I can remember. I saw him in concert recently here in Omaha and it fulfilled a wish that I’ve had for many, many years. And, yes, thanks for the clever reference!
Then I beat you to it by a little bit: I saw Simon and Garfunkel live in New York in 1967.
The line in question strikes me as a bit obscure, so I wasn’t sure who might or might not be familiar with it.
The face reminds me of a creature from Dr Who!
I can see that, too!
Seems like a character from Star Wars. Just can’t decide whether evil or benevolent.
By the time you decide, Steve, it may be too late. Hope for all of our sake it’s the latter!