Although temperatures are still quite cool it was worth firing up the light to see what the situation is with the garden moth population. Still quiet as it turned out, with only a small number of common moths landing on the sheet, several Crypsiphona ocultaria, one Anthela acuta and a small variety of common Noctuids. The most interesting arrival was a Gauna aegusalis, the larvae of this small Pyralid live in and feed on rust galls, Uromycladium tepperianum, on wattles. At rest this small moth holds its body curved upright.

During the past spring and summer, larvae of the batwing moth on the garden eucalypts have been a no show, leading to a worry that the population may no longer be present. However, with the light shining it wasn’t long before a nice male moth came in.

Soon after an Oxycanus australis arrived,

and a tree lucerne moth, Uresiphita ornithopteralis showing its hind wings.

On an extremely quiet night they were the only photographs taken, after three hours they were the only moths on the sheet, and other insects one may have expected to see were also absent. This is extremely concerning in that there are no obvious reasons for this to be occurring, and  it may be mirroring the decline of  insect life world wide.