Spring's Winged Thing: Lots of Bogong Moths on NSW South Coast + Butterflies so far this Season
Have you noticed there have been a lot of moths around the past few weeks? Mostly tan and white ones?
Maybe you have spotted one of the early Spring butterflies or those that are here all year round - the Common Crow Butterfly Euploea core butterfly, or 'flutter-by' as we call them here.
People on the South Coast of New South Wales have seen Bogong Moths swarming on Friday September 25 2026 - something that has not happened for a number of years, and a good sign pygmy possums, for whom these moths are a primary food source, will be well-fed this Spring.
Hundreds of people have seen them coming from in Callala Bay, which is on the northern shore of Jervis Bay about 20 minutes drive from Nowra and 10 minutes from Culburra Beach.
People have been sharing photos of masses of them and one person said their grandchildren were having a great time dancing among them!
Photo: Katie Gardener, some of the Bogong Moths on her home's walls. Friday September 25 2026
Bogong moths are a keystone species for the health of alpine ecosystems in Australia. They are a crucial food source for critically endangered mountain pygmy-possums and many other high elevation species. Traditional Owners have long harvested migrating bogong moths as a plentiful and nutritious food source. Different groups gathered on the high plains to conduct important business and cross‑cultural ceremonies during the migration period.
Bogong moths fly annually in Spring from the warm inland plains of eastern Australia to aestivate, a form of dormancy during warmer periods, in the cooler alpine areas along the Great Dividing Range. The moths then return to these inland areas in autumn to breed when food resources are suitable for their larvae.
Mass migrations usually occur at night. Moths use the earth’s magnetic fields and light from the night sky to orient towards alpine areas of the Australian Capital Territory, the Victorian Alps and the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales.
Each year, every moth makes this huge journey for the first time. This behaviour shows an inbuilt ability to navigate long distances.
Bogong moth numbers suffered a catastrophic 99.5% decline between 2018 and 2021. In 2021, the Bogong moth was added as an endangered species to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.
The cause of the sudden population crash is likely due to:
- severe droughts
- fires impacting larval sites
- the use of pesticide
- predation by introduced species
- habitat loss
- light pollution diverting migrating moths from their paths.
The loss of any species is upsetting, but the rapid decline of Bogong Moths impacts many other species. Bogong moths are a foundation species in the alpine food chain and support much of the alpine ecosystem.
They are also nectar eaters and act as pollinators, and their huge reduction in numbers could have a significant effect, not only on the small mammals relying on them as a food source, but also on plants along their migration route and in the alps.
You can help Bogong moths and all the species that rely on them by:
- not using insecticides
- turning off unnecessary lights at night
- reducing your carbon emissions
- planting native alpine flowers such as Correa, eucalypts, tea tree and grevillea that attract this species.
Atop that, should any make their way to Sydney, as they once did in massive amounts, there is a project called 'Moth Tracker' where scientists are collecting sightings to gauge how this little flutter-by is recovering from the problems that have beset it for almost a decade now. See Moth Tracker: www.zoo.org.au/moth-tracker
There is also another project, 'Bogong Watch'. See: invertebratesaustralia.org/bogong-watch
Bogong Watch is an initiative of Invertebrates Australia. It is a program driven by a growing network of observers across Australia gathering and reporting sightings of Bogong moths to help map its epic migration.
Both of these ask you to upload a photo and tell them where it was taken so they can track the annual migration of the Bogongs and see what can be done to support more of them.
As we're now in the Spring School Holiday's break, and set for some lovely weather that may encourage more insects to take to the skies and fly across your home range, a few notes on what you may see in your garden that may help you identify which is which.
We start with the Bogong - fingers crossed we see some here in Pittwater too!
Bogong Moth Time Approaches – Spring in Australia – Eastern Coasts
Although some squirm when these beautiful insects and their season approaches, they are part of our natural balance and a sure sign that Spring is moving towards Summer.
The Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa) is a temperate species of night-flying moth notable for appearing in large numbers around major public buildings in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during Spring (late September to November) as it migrates to the High Plains. The moth's name 'Bogong' is the same as the mountain ranges on the High Plains i.e. the Bogongs, and may mean 'Big Fella' hence the name for the mountains, or it may have been the name for the Moth which has been accorded to the mountains as their locale.
Indigenous Australians living in south eastern Australia were known to have feasted on the moths, benefiting from their rich fat reserves, particularly during the summer when the moths were plentiful. The moths were either killed or stupefied by the heat and smoke of torches, and then their bodies collected. Many Aboriginal band groups from the lowlands travelled to exploit this tasty, high protein and high fat resource, and so at any time during the summer, the population of human foragers could be upwards of 400 individuals. Moth collection activities were accompanied by appropriate ceremonies and rites of intensification, and most nearby groups held title to their own pitch for harvesting. Once collected, the moths were generally roasted and eaten whole. This cultural use is no longer practised. The term "Urri Arra" refers to the Bogong moth feasts that these Aboriginal people held.
A town, Bogong, in the Australian state of Victoria has been named after the moth. The Bogong moth Agrotis infusa is common throughout southern Australia. These brown to blackish moths have a wingspan of approximately 45 millimetres. Adults make lengthy migrations to spend summer months in large congregations in caves and crevices of rocks in the Australian Alps, notably in the region of the Bogong High Plains in Victoria. They are attracted to lights, like those seen at night in the Sydney and Canberra areas.
They were notable in broadcasts of the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony on 15 September. Large numbers may enter houses or other buildings to rest during the day. In winter, adults disperse to pastures across inland New South Wales and Queensland to lay their eggs.
This subfamily are characterised by their stoutly built bodies covered with long dense scales. The larvae, collectively known as cutworms, are also stoutly built. They feed on a wide variety of plants (see list below). The name cutworm comes from the larvae's habit of cutting off plant parts during the night which they drag back to their burrows in the soil as food. The Bogong moth is univoltine (i.e. it has one generation per year). The Lepidopteran life cycle consists of four stages; ova (eggs), several larval instars (caterpillars), pupa (cocoon), and imagines (adults).
Photo: Donald Hobern from Canberra, Australia
VISITATION OF MOTHS - Little Damage Done
Entomologists of the Department of Agriculture are investigating a plague of moths which has afflicted many parts of the State in recent weeks. The moths have appeared in amazing numbers in the Mallee, the Wimmera, the Mornington Peninsula, and even in some of the outer suburbs. The moths in the Wimmera, which have caused some concern, are cram-bid, or grass moths, in the main, but so far very little dam-age has been caused. An entomologist said yesterday that they were confining their attentions almost entirely to "rubbish," though there had been one or two instances of their eating wheat. Some of the species have not yet been identified, and they are being bred in the department's laboratory for purposes of identification. It is at present considered unlikely that the plague will develop to serious proportions. It is expected that rain will drown the moths in the ground. A report from Queenscliff states that at the week-end moths arrived in huge clouds at sunset, and many died, having to be swept up from floors of houses and from paths.
Seagulls' Feast
What must have been the first "hatch" of the Bogong moth emerging from the tea-tree at Beaumar is is related by Mr.C. W. Wilson, proprietor-manager of Scott's Hotel, Melbourne. On Sunday evening at dusk Mr. Wilson saw a large flock of silver gulls above the shoreline wheeling, "backpedalling," and somersaulting in mid-air. Their antics were caused by their enthusiasm for a large swarm of Bogong moths, drifting out to sea in the still air. Some of the gulls were so gorged with the moths that they could scarcely fly, others seemed insatiable.
The Bogong moth (Euxoa infusa) has in countless numbers stopped trains, ob-scured lighthouse lights, and wrecked in-numerable gas mantles. When the moths emerge after heavy rain in early winter they swarm in millions. The aborigines used to make special trips to the Australian Alps to gorge on this delicacy. They occur in masses in rocky crevices and caves; hence the names Bogong High Plains and Mountains in Gippsland. VISITATION OF MOTHS. (1939, May 17). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12129340
THE BIG BOGONG. A Neighbour of Kosciusko.
(BY J. J. B.)
The southern tablelands are rich in items of physiographical interest, for among other distinctions they embrace the highest mountain in Australia-Kosciusko. Not with-standing this prestige, Kosciusko is closely pressed when it comes to comparing altitudes above sea level; in far, the main range on which Kosciusko rests is studded with peaks culminating in rocky knolls, which, though not very conspicuous, run very close to Kosciusko on the altitude scale. There is no mountain, however, in the territory, which compares with the "Big Bogong"-as it Is familiarly known, or Jagungal as it is called in official circles-in downright majesty and impressiveness. Strangely enough, It is situated on a spur at a distance of four miles westerly from the main range, and this fact adds to its uniqueness. Its altitude Is 6755 feet, or 575 feet less than that of Kosciusko, but whereas the latter is located in the midst of a confusion of high altitudes, the Big Bogong stands out in singular glory. As the crow flies, the Big Bogong is distant twenty-two miles, and bears almost due north from the more famous summit.
In appearance the subject of this article gives the sightseer the Impression of restful grandeur. True, the Immediate summit and part of the western face is rocky, but the general effect Is not one of ruggedness. It stands as a huge monument facing the west, bare of timber on the upper slopes, grassed to within a few feet of the trigonometrical station, and generally conveying a suggestion of guardianship over the flocks and herds which frequent the grassy plateaux and valleys on all sides during the summer months.
Mount Bogong, at 1,986 metres (6,520 ft) the highest mountain in Victoria. This is the western flank towering above the town of Mount Beauty, taken looking east from Sullivans Lookout on the Tawonga Gap Rd. Victoria, Australia. Photo by John O’Neill, 9 May 2013
ORIGIN OF THE NAME.
Various theories are given as to the origin of the name Bogong, the most popular being attributed to the aboriginal name for a huge moth, which is to be found around the summit at certain times of the year. This may have some truth In it, but the fact remains that there are numerous mountains in southern New South Wales and that part of Victoria adjacent, bearing the name of Bogong in some combination or other. There is the Rocky Bogong, Grey Mare's Bogong, and Dicky Cooper Bogong, all within ten miles, and there are the "Bogongs"-a nest of peaks situated easterly from Tumut.
The first name "Big" does not, it is thought, refer to big moths, but to the fact that the mountain is unusual, and therefore my the story is that Bogong in the dialect of southern aborigines euphoniously indicated a conspicuous mountain.
The Big Bogong is easily scaled on horse-back to within a few feet of the summit, the culminating point being an outcrop of andesite piercing the granite surroundings. Here a trigonometrical station has been erected, consisting of the usual cairn of stone supporting a post of squared timber. The galvanised iron vanes have been blown away by the force of wind and driven snow. A flash of lightning, some three or four years ago, struck the guy wire supporting the upright, and blast-ed out some 30 or 40 tons of the hard rock, scattering fragments as if by heavy explosive some hundreds of yards.
A LANDSCAPE OF PEAKS.
From the summit one may gaze for scores of miles in any direction until the distant landscape melts into space. To the north, Tabletop Mountain, a basaltic peneplain, Im-mediately attracts attention; to the north-west, the Round Mountain and Black Jack are prominent; to the south-west, Rocky and Grey Mare's Bogongs are conspicuous; and southerly, Dicky Cooper's Bogong appears like a pimple of rock behind which progressively one's eyes can discern Adams and Twynams' peaks and other points which hide or confuse the real Kosciusko; to the south-east the Kerries, which actually comprise a huge swell in the range, are easily seen. Beyond all these in any direction the landscape extends to beyond the power of the eye to discern.
In the Immediate foreground, 1000 feet lower than the summit, are extensive areas of grass land, with belts of timber and plain alternating. The Geehi River rises on the south-east, and the Tumut River immediately under the mountain an the west. Further westerly the Tooma River-named the Toolong locally-rises, and after meandering through plain and timber alternatively, eventually joins the Upper Murray. There are approximately 125,000 acres of good summer grazing country in the vicinity held by graziers under leasehold, and used extensively for re-lief pastures In times of drought.
Some day this territory will become the sanitorium for the Riverina, where relief from summer heat can be gained. Then the Big Bogong will surely be appreciated for its most remarkable appearance; for while there may be many mountains In Australia more rugged and forbidding, there is no other mountain like the Big Bogong. Patriarchal, he faces the sunburnt western plains, kindly visaged, inviting, beautiful in rounded simplicity. THE BIG BOGONG. (1930, June 14). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 19. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16679141
Common Crow Butterfly Euploea Core
You may be seeing a few of these butterflies around our area at the moment, the Common Crow Butterfly Euploea core.
It belongs to the crows and tigers subfamily Danainae (tribe Danaini). E. core is a glossy-black, medium-sized 85–95 mm (3.3–3.7 in) butterfly with rows of white spots on the margins of its wings. E. core is a slow, steady flier. Due to its unpalatability it is usually observed gliding through the air with a minimum of effort. As caterpillars, this species sequesters toxins from its food plant which are passed on from larva to pupa to the adult. While feeding, it is a very bold butterfly, taking a long time at each bunch of flowers. It can also be found mud-puddling with others of its species and often in mixed groups. The males of this species visit plants like Crotalaria and Heliotropium to replenish pheromone stocks which are used to attract a female during courtship.
It is found in southern Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Russia, and Australia. In its range E. core is found at all elevations, right from sea level up into the mountains to 2,400 metres (8,000 ft). It can be observed in all layers of vegetation and in all types of regions from arid land to forested areas. It can as commonly be seen gliding over the treetops as flitting about a foot off the ground searching for nectar flowers. In thick forests it is often seen moving along open tracks or following the course of a river.
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Photo taken in Careel Bay, March 2023. Pic; AJG
The butterfly, being protected by its inedibility, has a leisurely flight. It is often seen flying about shrubs and bushes in search of its host plants. It visits a large variety of flowering plant species. When gliding E. core holds its wings at an angle just greater than the horizontal plane, maintaining its flight with a few measured wingbeats.
E. core is a nectar lover and visits flowers unhurriedly. It seems to prefer bunches to individual flowers. When feeding the butterfly is unhurried and is not easily disturbed. It can be approached closely at this time. On hot days large numbers of these butterflies can be seen mud-puddling on wet sand. E. core is an avid mud-puddler often congregating in huge swarms along with other Euploea species as well as other danaids.
Eggs are laid on the underside of young leaves of the host plants. The egg is shiny white, tall and pointed, with ribbed sides. Just before hatching the eggs turn greyish with a black top. Throughout its life the caterpillar stays on the underside of the leaves. The caterpillar is uniformly cylindrical, vividly coloured and smooth. It has alternate white and dark brown or black transverse bands. Just above the legs and prolegs, along the entire body is a wide orangish-red band interspersed with black spiracles.
The adult butterfly has a life span of 11 - 13 weeks. The adults feed upon nectar from various flowering plants, including eucalypts.
Phoracantha Semipunctata: The Australian Eucalyptus Longhorn
This week an insect with a pretty shell came inside the house. After taking a photo and looking it up we found out it is a Eucalyptus longhorn, and a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae.
Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns (whose larvae are often referred to as roundheaded borers), are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than the beetle's body.
Native to Australia, the Australian Eucalyptus Longhorn has now spread to many parts of the world, including practically all countries where tree species of Eucalyptus have been introduced. It has been classified as an invasive pest species of Eucalyptus outside Australia.
Within Australia, Phoracantha semipunctata primarily seeks decaying trees and branches.
Phoracantha semipunctata are typically dark brown and beige in colour and are approximately similar in size measuring at around 2.3cm long. They are most active during the early dusk hours, and are found in populations within host trees, which are predominantly male-oriented. These host trees are determined according to the suitability of adult mating and oviposition, and the viability of larvae development.
There are 4 key processes that occur within its lifecycle — Egg, larval, pupation and adult.
Female Phoracantha semipunctata lay approximately a batch of 40 eggs, where eggs are laid below detached bark, present within stressed host trees.
After the eggs hatch, larvae emerge and begin acquiring nutrients from the cambium and phloem segments, excavating through the external layer of bark to consume in the inner bark and exterior xylem tissues.
Pupation will occur after larvae development. Larvae Phoracantha semipunctata, will establish pupal chambers, within the sapwood or in some cases the heartwood, where they will develop into adult beetles. Pupation may take up to 10 days.
After pupation, adult Phoracantha semipunctata will then begin digging themselves out the pupal chamber in which they will then create a 8-10mm opening in the external bark layer. The total life cycle of P. semipunctata varies; however, in host trees with high larvae competition, their total lifecycle may be significantly depleted and only span up to two months.
Phoracantha semipunctata eggs and larvae are subject to various natural predators which may diminish their viability during the development process. Braconid parasites, including Syngaster lepidus, and Bracon capitator have been recorded to have negative effects. These female wasps infuse a certain venom within the larvae, stopping any further development and feeding that can be done.
There are also other species of beetle which lower larvae survivorship, including Trogodendron fasciculatum and Aeschyntelus vittatus.
Trogodendron fasciculatum, the yellow-horned clerid, is a small beetle of the family Cleridae (checkered beetles). It too is native to Australia, and feeds on other insects.
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Clerid beetle of the species Trogodendron fasciculatum (Schreibers) or yellowhorned clerid. Taken in January 2007 on a eucalyptus tree in Swifts Creek, Victoria, Australia. Photo: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos
Ants are also a problem for them as they simply carry the beetle eggs within Eucalyptus trees off to their own nest.
The resilience of Eucalyptus species to these insects is best achieved by looking after these. Making sure there is sufficient water during long durations of dry condition helps as longhorns need dry trees that are not too well to thrive and 'bore' into them.
Certainly not a 'boring' place to be though - seeing what comes indoors or what lives in the garden.
Sphinx Moths
This moth is a Acosmeryx cinnamomea, a species of in the family sphinx moths. Sphingidae (Sphinx Moths) is a family of Lepidoptera (Moths And Butterflies). They eat the leaves of Cayratia clematidea (wild grape), Cissus antarctica (Kangaroo vine), Cissus oblonga, Vitis vinifera (wine grape/edible grape), Vitis vinifera rupestris (ornamental grape). They are Nocturnal - Active at night. Their colour ranges from brown to grey. Their size at rest - tip of thorax to tip of either forewing: 49mm.
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As you can see, this one has a bald spot. Moths and butterflies constantly accumulate damage on their wings and bodies over time, and they're especially prone to loosing the delicate scales that coat their exoskeleton (which is usually visible as a 'bald spot' on the top part of a moth's thorax when it's been bumping around a light for a few hours). You can even get a sense of a moth's age by seeing how worn and tattered its wings are; newly emerged individuals are usually pristine, while older ones have frayed wings and patches of missing scales.
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The species is found in North-Western WA, Northern NT, Far North Queensland and south along the coast through QLD, NSW to northern tip of VIC. The caterpillar grows to a length of about 8cms. The pupa has a length of about 4.5 cms.
Tiger Moth
Finally, how about one more of the moths you are likely to see at present? This one flew in and hovered around the computer and then dived down the back of the desk, where there are heaps of cobwebs, on Friday morning at dawn - obviously coming indoors for the day - and reminding me to clean behind my desk! - whoops....
This is a Tiger Moth - an actual moth and not a aeroplane form some years past.
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Unlike many other moths, Tiger Moths has bright orange bars and spots on its wings. They have striped abdomens which has given them their name. Most Tiger Moths fly at night but some are day-fliers. They do not fly very fast.
Most Caterpillars of the Arctiidae are covered in dense dark hairs, which gives them the name "Woolly Bears". The hairs can cause irritation in sensitive skin. The caterpillars are small to medium size. The caterpillars usually active during the daytime. If disturbed, they will roll into a tight spiral.
Tiger Moths live on the coastal areas of eastern Australia. You will find Tiger Moths on plants usually around flowers, around water such as puddles and in the air.
After dark Tiger Moths emit ultrasonic clicks which can be picked up by insectivorous bats. These clicks warn the bats that the moth is unpleasant to eat, and also jams the bats’ sonar system.
The Tiger Moth is a food source for small birds. Luckily for the Tiger Moth, most predators know its marked patches of orange and black mean that the moth is distasteful or poisonous.
They love to drink the nectar from wildflowers and prefer an established garden, where they can also eat lichen. Lichen occurs when fungi and algae grow together. In rainforests and alpine forests it forms a large carpet on the ground. Keep a look out for grey, green or yellow patches on your backyard rocks and trees.
The de Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. In addition to the type's principal use for ab initio training, the Second World War had RAF Tiger Moths operating in other capacities, including maritime surveillance and defensive anti-invasion preparations; some aircraft were outfitted to function as armed light bombers.
Additional overseas manufacturing activity also occurred, most of which took place during wartime. de Havilland Australia assembled an initial batch of 20 aircraft from parts sent from the United Kingdom prior to embarking on their own major production campaign of the DH.82A, which resulted in a total of 1,070 Tiger Moths being constructed in Australia. In late 1940, the first Australian-assembled Tiger Moth conducted its first flight at Bankstown, Sydney. Most Australian aircraft were delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), but several batches were exported, including 18 for the USAAF and 41 for the Royal Indian Air Force.
Many nations have used the Tiger Moth in both military and civilian applications, and it remains in widespread use as a recreational aircraft. It is still occasionally used as a primary training aircraft, particularly for pilots wanting to gain experience before moving on to other tailwheel aircraft. Many Tiger Moths are now employed by companies offering trial lesson experiences.
de Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth, N81DH, in 1989. Photo: Towpilot - Own work
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Ingleside Riders Group Inc. (IRG) is a not for profit incorporated association and is run solely by volunteers. It was formed in 2003 and provides a facility known as “Ingleside Equestrian Park” which is approximately 9 acres of land between Wattle St and McLean St, Ingleside. 
