And You Are?

Somewhere along the way of writing this blog, I picked up a habit of wanting to know what each caterpillar I find turns into. This little guy appeared on the Virginia Creeper next to the bunker. I had intentions of taking weekly photos of him til it pupated, but unfortunately I ended up having some time off work and was unable to see this.

This little guy is an Australian Grapevine Moth. They can be found over most of Australia (not Northern Territory though) and are a pest species both here and in other parts of the world. Like most caterpillars they prefer to feed on plants with soft leaves, such as the Virginia Creeper you see in the photos, Grape Vines, Nasturtiums, Fuchsias, Evening Primrose, etc. They are hungry little buggers, this one alone nearly stripped all the leaves off the Creeper (it is not an overly big creeper yet) and tend to rest on the underside of the plant they are feasting on. This is why I tell people when they are trying to control caterpillars that they have to treat underneath the leaves as best they can. The most successful/eco friendly way of treating these pests is to make sure the product you are using will get in contact with them. So spraying Success or Pyrethium on the underside of the leaves, or dusting Flour on the underside of the damp leaves. Otherwise you are just wasting time and money.

I would never have seen this caterpillar pupate, as when it reaches maturity it goes walk-a-bout for 1-2 days so it can find a hidden away, safe place such as a crack in a fence post to pupate on. It overwinters as the pupa, before emerging  in the spring as a little black and white moth (though they look more like butterflies). Unfortunately I was unable to get any photos of these guys. Butterflies can be skittish little things and seem to think their soul will be stolen if I get a photo of them.