Cupping caterpillars

At the end of last summer, I found some Mottled Cupmoth (Doratifera vulnerans) caterpillars on my Eucalyptus or gumtree. I brought them in and kept them inside to watch them develop and see their metamorphosis. This is the grey form but they vary in colour from green through to red but all have a pair of yellow and green saddle-like marks on the back which often have a white arc at each end, and a black outline. They can be found all over Australia feeding on trees in the Myrtaceae family.

Cupmoth caterpillar with spines everted.

 

Cupmoth caterpillar on branch with its spines erect after being disturbed.

Watching these caterpillars make their cocoon was fascinating and I did manage to document it quite well with photos and video.

Caterpillar preparing to pupate - it produces silken threads to tether itself to the branch.

Caterpillar formed into a ball

The basic cup shape has been formed.

Cup-shaped cocoon with what looks like white liquid inside.

Here is a 4 minute video I made of the cocoon construction which actually took all day. I sped up the video to show what happened in a shorter time.

That was about 9 months ago and recently the cupmoths have started to eclose. Unfortunately I have not observed the actual moment they emerged from the cocoon so haven't been able to take a video or photos to have as a record however I do have some photos of the moths anyway.

Here's the empty cocooon with the pupal case sticking out. 

The empty pupal skin which I pulled out of a cocoon so I could see the shape of the skin. See the antenna shape?

Here is the moth hanging under the branch where its cocoon was attached.

The beautiful moth - I love the furry legs with white stripes and those pretty metallic wings.

Each moth has been released out into the garden and last night I put one out on the branch it was hanging on also. When I remembered to check the next day, expecting it to be gone like the others, there were two moths end to end on the twig. The one I put out must have been a female because she was attached to a smaller moth presumably the male. I guess she released the appropriate pheromone to attract a mate.

Cupmoths mating under the branch.

 Now that it is night I see that he is left alone and she has probably flown off to lay her eggs. I wonder if they will be on my tree?

Construction sites - mud wasp nest building

Firstly, my apologies for letting this go for those who have been interested in my posts. Sometimes real life just gets in the way and the energy required to put into a BLOG is not there. It is hard to explain but sometimes the task seems overwhelming when there are other life issues using up your energy so I decided not to stress and let it go until I felt ready to go on. I even considered abandoning it then the passion for all things tiny and small got the better of me and I just have to share them.
So I have a bit of catching up to do because I was still taking photos and observing life in the microcosm. And now I am going to try to give you a glimpse of some of it.

The most fascinating thing from last summer to me was the mud wasps that were building a nest to lay their eggs on a veranda pillar near the Hydrangeas. I desperately wanted to see more and capture it to share but without setting up camp below the nest, I had to take my chances when I could to see the wasp going in and out with blobs of mud to extend and strengthen the nest. These wasps catch either spiders or caterpillars and stock the nest where the eggs are laid with paralysed prey for their offspring to feed on. I didn't get to see them taking in prey so am not sure what the food of choice is for this species.

Mudwasp nest with a tunnel being repaired after rain washed some of it away .

Wasp working on extending the tunnel with some fresh mud.

Wet mud around the entrance shows where the wasp has been working.

What's hot in the Microcosm?

Summer became hotter and the garden suffered from the intense heat especially the Hydrangeas and ferns. We had several days of temperatures over 40C degrees and an extended period of no rain. Eventually, we got some slightly lower temperatures but it became humid and unpleasant to be out and about in.
We finally got some relief last Saturday night with some cooler air and a shower of rain. Some areas of Melbourne received more but ours was only an overnight thing and hasn't returned since.

Hydrangea flower after a week of  extremely hot temperatures.

Despite the heat, there is still life in the garden although it seems to vary, and I found some new creatures  I hadn't noticed before. Maybe I have just been looking with sharper eyes but I have certainly been pleased when I find a different fly, wasp or other insect that I had no idea existed there.

One such creature is the Green Lacewing larva which curiously adorns itself with debris as a kind of disguise or protection from other predators. This insect larva feeds on moth eggs and small larvae/caterpillars, scale insects and white flies. So these are beneficial in gardens, particularly when growing food crops and are used as a safe, chemical free, biological control as explained on the Good Bugs site. I have found a few of these now and the first two photos below show one that is the least adorned with debris and in fact, seemed to have difficulty keeping it on its back. The two photos below that are of another which had quite a lot of what looked like insect castings and maybe even a spider leg! Remember that these are very small and they also move around a lot so being able to see properly the details of its strange armour is not easy but as you can see, I found them fascinating and have shared my photos so you can be amazed also.

Green Lacewing larva with debris precariously balanced on its back. 

Green Lacewing larva with debris falling off with a clear view of its spiny hairs and large pincers.

Green Lacewing larva with insect or spider casing on its back

This Green Lacewing Larva seems to have a 'tail' which looks like a spider's leg to me.

Another predator which I have seen quite often flying purposefully around the garden or sitting quietly on a plant where I could get a better view and photo, was the Robber Fly. These flies are stealthy hunters of flying insects in a similar way to dragonflies and have been known to catch bees. They have strong claws and, once prey are caught, they are injected with powerful enzymes to dissolve their insides which is then sucked out through the straw-like proboscis. So as you can see, not all flies are pests.

Robber Fly resting on leaf

Th final predator I want to mention is the namesake of this BLOG; the Praying Mantid or Mantis if you prefer. I have still come across one of the green mantids like the ones that hatched on or near the Hydrangea and spent their first days of life there and they are either adult or sub-adult by now but today when I went out to pick some vegetables for salad, I noticed a brown mantid among the rocket plants. It stood out quite a bit being reddish-brown but since the cabbage white butterflies are hovering around and feeding on the flowers there, the likelihood of catching a meal was quite good.
And yesterday, nearby on the side fence, I saw a large green mantid wandering along near the top. It also stood out a lot and I was telling it (as I'm inclined to do) to move along and get onto some foliage where it would not stand out and fall prey to a insect or bird predator.

Brown praying mantid among the rocket. It was facing downward but I think it is easier to look at up the right way. 

Green Praying Mantid glowing in the late afternoon sun on the fence railing. 

Pobblebonks and Fluffy Bums

Summer so far has been a mix of weather from very hot to cool and rainy. Some days have been like a delightful warm spring day which suits me fine. The nights are definitely also warmer and there is much more insect activity both day and night.  I notice lots of moths fluttering around when I go out in the garden once it's dark and the frogs are calling in our backyard ponds most nights and sometimes during the day. I watched one night as a pair of frogs made ripples as they desperately tried to mate but didn't succeed. However there are tiny tadpoles in the main pond. I've also seen a frog out hunting one night and I guess there are plenty of invertebrates available for an stealthy hunter in my garden!

An Eastern Banjo frog ~ Limnodynastes dumerilii, commonly known as a Pobblebonk due to the sound they make when they call, out hunting in the garden.To hear their call see my Google+ post: Eastern Banjo Frog calling  

Among the butterflies I see in my garden at this time of year, a clear favourite despite its small size and muted tones in some light, is the Common Grass Blue ~ Zizina labradus, with a wingspan of  20mm (male) and 23mm (female) it is a delicate looking creature that flutters from one clover flower to the next. It is only occasionally that I get to see its iridescent blue highlights on the top of the wings.  Just beautiful! 

Common Grass Blue butterfly on Clover flower

In the front garden where the citrus trees and Hydrangea bushes grow, I have not seen a praying mantid for a long while. I am suspicious that the large number of spiders have devoured them all! The Spined Citrus bugs appear to be doing OK on the Cumquat tree although I think many of them may have been preyed upon also. 

Spined Citrus bug nymph - look how the green speckled abdomen blends in with the back of the leaves.

Meanwhile the Hydrangea bushes are flowering now and many plant hoppers and other sap sucking bugs are taking advantage of the new lush growth. One that is quite peculiar looking as a nymph but quite attractive as a winged adult is the Passion Vine Hopper ~ Scolypopa australis The nymphs are often known as "Fluffy Bums" and you will see why in the photo below. The adults, however have pretty lacy wings and are a nice shape. 

Scolypopa australis

Scolypopa australis

Scolypopa au

Fluffy Bum - Passionvine Hopper ~ Scolypopa australis nymph .

Lacy-winged adult Passionvine Hopper ~ Scolypopa australis.

Next time I want to share some cool predators I have discovered out in the Mantid Microcosm. See you then!