Moth Wing Earrings
Lindsay Oehlke, of Charlottetown, P.E.I, has a very unusual hobby and part-time business. She makes and sells moth wing earrings for $15 to $30 per pair (plus S&H and applicable taxes).
As the daughter of a commercial moth egg and cocoon producer, Oehlke has an easy and humane supply of moth wings. Her dad, Bill's operation makes use of free-flying, wild male Silk Moths and Hawk Moths that mate through the cage openings of captive females, and then die naturally after fulfilling their duties. In their adult phase, these male insects’ lifespan is only about a week.
Bill collects the dead moths he finds, and gives them to Lindsay. "After getting the deceased moths from Dad, I remove their wings and place their little bodies outside to feed the birds and bats. I dehydrate the wings by letting them air dry, and then laminate them with 3mm, thin, clear, plastic film. This preserves their integrity so well that you can still feel their delicate veins without damaging the wings."
Oehlke trims off the excess plastic and mounts the earring hardware. Since there are many species of moths, she has wings with a wide variety of colors, sizes, patterns and shapes. For example, the Luna Silk Moth is lime green and has swooping tails, the Cecropia Silk Moth is charcoal grey with red and white bands, and the Rosy Maple Silk Moth is pink and yellow.
"Making the earrings is extremely tedious, and a labor of love," she says.
"Since these species are nocturnal, many people are oblivious to their exquisite existence. I'm very lucky to be able to preserve and share the beauty of these moths through this functional art form. Each set of wings is as individual and imperfect as the moths themselves." The delicate-looking earrings are sure to be conversation starters and make unique gifts. Oehlke markets her earrings online with an Etsy page.
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