I’ve photographed this pretty Aussie Grapevine Moth (Phalaenoides glycinae) last year, but not managed to so far in 2016 – until today. However, this one was very subdued and jumped on to my hand when I reached for a grape. Sort of puts one off eating the grapes just thinking that one of these moths may have pumped eggs in already! I did see a tiny caterpillar a few days ago.
I’m tagging these for Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro.
I’m posting this for Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge. The second Monday of the month is Macro … I just squeeze in. I’m using the Nokia Lumia 520 windows phone for these photos. Cropped and optimized, otherwise untouched. I hope my images are macro enough. I can’t get much closer with my phone camera.
clinging to the midrib
I’m making the most of these caterpillars while they’re here. I’m rather taken by their nasty-looking forelegs! No wonder they have such a good grip on the vine leaves.
Perhaps I should have titled this post Caterpillar Feet & the FINAL theme.
You might have noticed that I’ve messed with the theme – again. It was Twenty-Fourteen for a day or two, with the lovely big featured images, but it just wasn’t practical for tablet navigation.
upside down is no problem at all
topsy-turvy
Australian Grapevine Moth caterpillar
(thumbnail of the featured image)
Just click on any images you would like to see bigger.
My resident blackbird shot out of the grapevine this morning as I went out my side door. I wonder if it might gobble up the smaller caterpillars. As they strip the leaves, they do expose themselves. I’ll keep an eye out.
Thanks for looking. Have a good day. 🙂
Check out Sally’s interesting post and images for this week here (Macro & Abstraction of a Ginko Leaf)
Comocrus behri: The Mistletoe Moth
Photographed today on our grape vine, using my Nokia Lumia 530, 5mp windows camera, on auto, cropped. Click on any of the images and you will be taken to the gallery.
UPDATED next day: I’m wrong. This is the Australian grapevine moth (Phalaenoides glycinae) … I got sidetracked by the drawing! (I haven’t even got mistletoe)
UPDATED: Here is what Wikipedia says about the right one:
The Australian grapevine moth (Phalaenoides glycinae) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is endemic to the south-eastern half of Australia, but is an invasive species in many parts of the world, including Canada and South Africa. The wingspan is about 50 mm. The larvae mainly feed on Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Hibbertia obtusifolia, Amyema gaudichaudii, Epilobium ciliatum, Fuchsia and Oenothera species, but mainly Vitis vinifera, hence it is considered a pest.
The Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis) was introduced into Australia in 1862 to deal with a number of insect pests including the grapevine moth. In this it was unsuccessful, and ironically the bird is now itself considered a pest in many parts of Australia.
I’ll leave this here, even though it is not the same moth. It is a terrific drawing and looks much the same.
This moth does not have the same furry orange legs and underbelly.
Wikipedia says:
Comocrus behri (Angas, 1847) aka ‘Mistletoe Moth’, is widely distributed in southern Australia from Perth to Melbourne and adjacent to Bass Strait, occurring as far north as Derby, Western Australia, and Clermont and Rockhampton in Queensland. It may be seen during daylight hours hovering around mistletoe species such as Amyema miquelii, Amyema melaleucae and Amyema cambadgei growing on Casuarina and Eucalyptus trees. The adult moths feed on Eucalypus flower nectar,have a wingspan of some 58 millimetres and are basically black with white bands running through the wings. Males exhibit ‘hill-topping’ behaviour, flying to high points in the landscape and there encountering females ready for mating.
IMAGE: By Arthur Bartholomew (1834 – 1909) (English) (Artist, Details of artist on Google Art Project) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Christine R 
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