Unidentified Leaf Cocoons

It's possible none of these are moths.

I'm having great difficulty identifying this tree - let alone it's lodger!


On a hanging geranium.



Boronia megastigma

There are masses of these in Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood.)
Most of the cocoons are about 7cm x 4cm.

Noctuidae (Acontiinae)

Quite a small moth.



UPDATE: Chrysolarentia (probably polyxantha)
Geometridae (Larentiinae)

Limacodidae (Cup Moths)

I found these caterpillars yesterday feeding on Eucalyptus ficifolia



I am pretty sure they are Doratifera casta- in some areas, known as Black Slug Cup Moth.

I opted to 're-house' the caterpillars onto another eucalypt because my ficifolia is too small to accomodate a large number. The tree should cope with the few I left in situ.

Sphingidae: Gnathothlibus eras Update

The jury is still out on the correct identification of this particular moth. Thanks to the helpful staff at the Museum of Victoria, I am now on a mission to locate another one and this time, I'll check the colour of the hindwing - provided I can make a distinction between yellow and red!

Today, however, I bought the Hawk Moth a present of 2 more Coprosmas. It may have already bred this season but it will have three Coprosma plants to choose from next breeding season.

I also intend to patrol the grapevines growing close by prior to any further spraying and should I find any caterpillars, I will save a few.

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27th February, 2008

Stand by! This junior lepidopterist may well have made an error with her identification of this particular Hawk Moth.

It's quite possible this is Hippotion scrofa not G. eras!

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Indeed, a very nice moth!



I have one larval host food plant so hopefully, I will see this moth reproduce. There are grapevines close by as well.

(Thanks again to Don Herbison-Evans who helps to make my Lepidoptera learning journey worthwhile.)

As Don indicated in reply to my query, we may see species in areas previously unknown, due to climate change.

Sphingidae - Hawk Moths

I have tentatively identified this moth as Gnathothlibus eras.

If I am correct, then the find is exciting because according to Zborowski and Edwards - A Guide To Australian Moths, it is only found in Eastern Victoria.

The larvae of this moth apparently feed on Vitaceae and I am in a wine producing district.

I will, however, seek an expert opinion regarding correct identification and may add some more photos later. I was unable to get a clear shot of the moth's head because I had to scale a ladder to get this shot!

DIARY - February, 2008

20/2/2008

Yesterday I was finally able to pin down, metaphorically speaking, one Meadow Argus for a bit of a photo session.

Although the Meadow Argus may be a common butterfly throughout Australia, it is poorly represented in my area.

The weather was very hot (34deg) with northerly winds but this butterfly was quite taken with the Pineapple Lily (Eucomis comosa). It was also feeding on Buddleia davidii.

The photos are not particularly good because of the distance between the subject and the camera and I was really desperate to get a few shots.





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19/2/2008

We had days of southeries and once the winds abated, a few butterflies made an appearance. The Cabbage White, Common Grass-blue and the Meadow Argus being the ones I was able to quickly identify.

I have Buddleia and Rosemary in flower at the moment and these are attractive nectar plants.

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10/2/2008

We have been experiencing unseasonably cold nights followed by cool days with strong southerly winds. There have been no butterfly or moth sightings, apart from one Common Grass-blue butterfly.

I've found only one Grevillea Looper caterpillar since my discovery on the 5th.

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5/2/2008

At about 9.30am this morning I found a number of Oenochroma vinaria caterpillars in different stages of growth on various Grevilleas. The weather was warm, although overcast with a S/E wind.

I had made a "lookout note" to myself to check the Grevilleas in April as it was that month last year I first encounted the Grevillea Looper caterpillars.

See Caterpillar Page for photos

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I’ve managed to glimpse the Yellow Admiral (Vanessa itea) twice over the past few days. My last sighting of this butterfly was on the 29th August, last year.

Friday the 1st February was a warm, sunny day with no wind. At 3.05pm, one flew past me at about waist height. At about 10.50am, on 3/2 probably the same butterfly flew past. The weather was warm, overcast and a slight wind.

Until I find what this butterfly is feeding on, the likelihood of my obtaining a photo is extremely remote. I do, however, have a larval host food plant, Baby’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) nearby which I am watching like a hawk.

I am quite surprised, if not concerned at the small number of Common Grass-blues (Zizina labradus) around. This time last year, there were heaps.

The Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) is way down in numbers this year as well. I have quite a few host food plants this butterfly likes, but there is no indication of egg or caterpillar activity that I am able to detect.

Very few moths to be seen. There are a few of the minute ones around, but as yet, I have been unable to photograph them. I saw one vine moth (Phalaenoides glycinae) at about 7pm on 3/2/08.

THE CATERPILLAR PAGE

MOTHS:

To date, I haven't discovered any butterfly caterpillars.
(Thanks to Don Herbison-Evans for his help with identification
of these caterpillars.)

If anyone notices any errors in my identification, please feel free to

correct me. I'm quite new to this Lepidoptera stuff!

Oenochroma vinaria today (5/2/08)



I think this caterpillar might be Southern Old

Lady (Dasypodia selenophora)

This caterpillar was on top of a covered cage directly

beneath an Acacia melanoxylin (Blackwood.)

Although this moth (Oenochroma vinaria) is common,
I saw only one Grevillea Looper adult, after a thunderstorm
on the 3rd December, 2007.



Capusa senilis. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch this one

pupate as it was taken by a predator on the 21st October, 2007.