Black and orange striped hairy caterpillar that becomes a black moth with a line of white dots about two thirds down its body. The body is orange/yellow and black striped. The moth was roughly the size of a 20 cent piece. Several caterpillars found individually on various Fireweed plants.
Hi Fiona, Yeah, same thing at Brogo, just a single caterpillar per fireweed. I feel a bit guilty about pulling their food plant out. We have heaps of native Senecio species they could be feeding on, but they seem to prefer the fireweed. I don't think I have ever seen a caterpillar on the native Senecio plants, yet that must be what they fed on before the fireweed turned up.
It's strange that I've only noticed them this year, no other year previously. Also, when I last went Fireweed picking I can across 2 different caterpillars, one a brownish inch worm type and the other I would guess at being Cabbage Butterfly. Who knows, in 10 years we might be able to leave the Fireweed to nature. Wouldn't that be nice!
Hah! Dream on. Although I did hear on the radio recently that another potential biocontrol agent is being tested, so fingers crossed this one turns out to be a winner and not too keen on hammering the local Senecio species. I think they said it was a weevil.
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