Monster Freaking Moth!

Even though I claim to be a born-again nature lover, it was all I could do to keep from titling this post "Ewwwwwwwww!!" (Note: When I break out the exclamation points and italics, you know I'm worked up about something.)

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my phobia/disgust where bugs are concerned. I find them repulsive, but also strangely fascinating at the same time. I can appreciate the role they play in the circle of life, I just don't want them anywhere near me - and definitely not touching me or crawling on me. *shudder*
But I enjoy nature walks and hikes, and thus in recent years I've become much more tolerant of them while outdoors. But come on, this...
This is just too much to handle:

I love taking evening walks to enjoy the cool, fresh night air. But it seems there's always something disgusting lurking out there, like my nemesis, june bugs *gag* and also apparently mutant moths the size of my freaking hand! Hey, I'm not exaggerating, take another look at that picture and notice the normal sized moth next to it. Yeah, it was that big. *faint*
I think I'll just stick to my early morning walks from now on.

... it is kinda cool though huh? I loathe to admit it, but it's almost pretty. Almost.

P.S. My curiosity got the better of me so I googled this bad boy and found he's a species of Giant Silk Moth. I refer to it as "he" because I learned the bushy antennae indicate it's a male. Gross. At least he has a neat name. More photos and info can be found here.