Checking the citrus for excessive butterfly eggs or caterpillars yesterday I found a couple of young Citrus Swallowtail caterpillars. They have an interesting life cycle as they grow so I’ll need to check back often. Then taking out the rubbish we managed to find a Tailed Emperor caterpillar too!
Common Brown Butterflies – Heteronympha merope – are both common and numerous. At this time of year only the females are left, waiting for cooler weather and green grass to lay their eggs on. In the meantime they gather in great numbers around food plants, never too far from grassy fields.
From mid to late summer you can’t walk through the paddocks without disturbing clouds of Common Browns. Butterfly strike (being flown into) is quite common.
This year they enjoyed the over-ripe figs immensely, then moved on to the buddlieas. They can often be seen basking in the sun on dirt, gravel or grass. The Common Browns also appear to be attracted to wild blackberry if they can find it, especially one growing in the shade of eucalypts.
More information on the Common Brown Butterfly can be found at http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/nymp/merope.html
Leaves on the deciduous trees are starting to turn, mornings are quite cool with heavy dew, and the first Robin Red Breast in his winter colours was sighted today!
