If you've followed the acacia bush, caterpillar, Fan-tailed Cuckoo story from the start, then you might be interested to see the net result of it all. The affected shrub I've been showing you is the collection of bare twigs in the foreground - the same plant that was flowering and leaf-covered not so long ago. On the three plants I counted four live caterpillars - they seem to be sucking on the stems. As far as I can tell none of them lived to pupate. The cuckoo blue wrens ate a few, but I must admit I'm at a bit of a loss to understand it all - why the Tree Lucerne Moths would lay eggs on such small shrubs when they are destined to starve? Be interested to hear from you on that. Some nocturnal visitors included this carpenter ant (very painful bite, I can attest). - and, if you're an arachnophobe, don't follow the this instruction ...
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December 2020
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