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Creatures in the garden

MOTHS: The GOOD, The BAD & The ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS
It’s easy to overlook moths, until you encounter one that makes
you gasp in wonder! I first saw the Moon moth at Lion Park, and I
couldn’t believe people weren’t stopping to stare.

Even if most moths are clothed in
seemingly dull browns and blacks,
if you look closely they are equally
spectacular, with gold flecks, eyes
or names like: ‘Death’s Head
Hawk’ (Caterpillar below), ‘Superb
False Tiger’ (Top right), ‘Cream
striped Owl’ (2nd right), ‘Heady
Maiden (5th right), ‘Moon Moth’
(2nd left), ‘Sundowner’ (4th right),
‘Bagworm’ (Top left) and ‘Wattle
Emperor’ (3rd left). I’ve had all
of these in my garden, along with
all the stages of their life cycle,
the eggs, caterpillars (larvae) and
pupae.
So the good first: they provide
food for birds and other creatures;
the caterpillars are also food for
all sorts of other insects that are
beneficial in our garden such as
wasps; and the moths pollinate
our flowers.
The bad? Well, the caterpillars
do eat our plants and some sting
our veggies and fruit, but if you’re
lucky enough to have any fruit
trees, you will have realised that
the damage they do is minimal.
And besides, like birds, moths add
to the ever changing garden show.
Text & photos by S.C (Right) & Pixabay
contributors including Ian Lindsay (Left).