Oh man, it looks like it is that time of the year again!

As I have stated in a previous post, once the African rains hits the earth, it is as if everything simply comes back alive. Plants that were seemingly dead bursts with new growth, followed by animals and birds that feast of the spoils of the greenery, but this also applies to various bugs spiders and scorpions.

And one insect that has predominantly made its appearance is our indigenous tribes of free range giant silk moths. And they are certainly not reffed to as giants for nothing, as their glorious wingspan can reach up to 18cm (That is 7 inches)

So I walked around a bit in search of some of these giant moths in order to share them with you.

The first moth that I happened across, was the lovely African Moon Moth (above) And although moths generally has a reputation for being pale and dreary in comparison to butterflies, the gorgeous Moon moth or Luna moth is certainly the exception to that rule with it glamorous bright green attire.

Another lovely giant Silkmoth that I came across was the Pouoog Moth (below)

Although there is some appeal to its fluffy appearance they are not quite as striking as the luna moth at first glance, that is until they open their wings and you see the clear colorful markings that lends it its name "Pouoog" directly translated to 'Peacock Eye'.

And then the last type of Giant moth that I encountered - and I must add somewhat of a celebrity in these parts was the Mopani Moth. more commonly known as the African Emperor Moth.

Now firstly let me say that although all three these types of moths are considered giant silk moths - their silk has very little to no commercial value, and although they are all quite gorgeous to look at, what is it that makes the mopani moth so special around here?

And the answer to that is that it has nothing to to with the moth itself other than the fact that it spawns the Mopani Worm larvae, which is a delicatessen in the African culinary industry.

Now as much as I like the idea of pest control - I am not quite at a point where I am considering eating the bugs just quite yet, and although I have eaten it prepared in various ways simply because I am a firm believer in trying new things I have to admit that it is not something that I would sell my sister in law for just quite yet.

Lets have a look at the Mopani worm:

The mopani worm is the larvae of the Emperor moth that belongs to the Gonimbrasia belina species, it grows into a large caterpillar that feeds off of the leaves of the Mopani trees. And throughout the ages in Africa - these worms have been harvested and used for a protein rich source of food. Over time it has become so popular that it has now become a trade of 1.6 million kilograms (dried weight) of worms harvested annually. Especially if you take into account that these worms are foraged wild from mopane forests and are not centralized or domesticated, plus it is a seasonal thing only - harvesting can only be done for a few weeks a year.

Once the worms are harvested, they are cleaned and sun-dried, tis ensures that there is a long lasting supply of these tasty treats. Thereafter the worms are sold to local markets.

These worms can be prepared and eaten is so many different ways - some prefer them as a dry crispy snack seasoned to taste, with a dipping sauce, other people prefer to prepare the worms in a stew (traditionally served with Pap, a stiff maize porridge), or even pan fried with tomatoes, garlic and onions, but they say that eating the worm fresh off the tree is the best because it gives you the authentic undiluted taste of this creepy delight.