There appeared to be several pieces of scruffy twiggy stuff dotted round the chairs and table, and I never took much notice until the one nearest to me MOVED!
I've not seen anything like that before, but soon discovered they are pupa of the Australian Bagmoth (Cebysa leucotelus).
There was a live caterpillar inside each of these strange cases.
They were first found in Auckland in 1981 and are spreading through the rest of the country.
I satisfied myself that they weren't a household pest (they feed on lichen and algae), and left them to do their own thing.
By lunchtime our weather had changed from blue skies to black.
Then, around mid-afternoon, Noisy Thunder rolled into town along with his henchman, Heavy Rain.
Poor Mittens. She's really becoming terrified of the loud noise. When the house starts to shake and rattle with it, I can't say I blame her.
She was much happier this morning, out on the deck with me.
Enjoy your day,
Margaret xx
Sounds like our day although we haven't had the thunder yet.
ReplyDeleteWhat weird looking creatures! Thank goodness they do no harm.
ReplyDeleteLovely sunshine photos
That was a loud thunderstorm. No wonder Mittens was frightened.
ReplyDeleteI hope to remember to google that bagmoth...just to see. I love your description of the rain..
ReplyDeleteI am screaming and running from the bagworms... Harmless, I'm sure, but yikes! 😀 Hope Mittens is doing better. 🐱
ReplyDeleteTea on the deck sounds lovely we are almost finished our days eating on the deck. Sad!
ReplyDeleteSounds like your day was very indecisive on what it wanted to do, from sunny skies to thunderstorms and then clearing back up again. I love how fresh the air smells after a good rain storm. Sorry it scared your kitten.
ReplyDeleteThe table and the chair have the mollusks or lichens that make it look special.
ReplyDeleteWe too had a lovely sunny day and then the heavens opened up and we got lots of rain
ReplyDeleteI hope the Aussie invader’s are not too much of a bother to you
Good thing those strange looking pupa don't result in moths that are in any way damaging. Still....
ReplyDeleteEEEEK - what unusual critters - at least I know now tht they are not harmful...
ReplyDeleteYes, the weather really has been a mix of late - like you we are under another heavy rain warning...
Blessings
Maxine
Urgh! I’ve looked up bagworms!! It would seem to be a generic term for caterpillar of several varieties of moth, not the least of which is the carpet moth!! Here in Cornwall we had an explosion of carpet moths a couple of years ago. Nearly everyone I know seemed to get some. The caterpillars spin themselves little silk cocoons so they look like small grains of rice. The only problem is they like organic fluff and smother their cocoons in the fluff so they look the same colour as the carpet. Very hard to spot. Isn’t nature wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWell, that is strange! I wonder what they look like at each stage of their lives.
ReplyDeleteI had a look at the bagmoth via Mr Google, what an interesting creature. Give Mittens a tickle from me.
ReplyDeleteIt's that time of year where we expect the unexpected when it comes to the weather, isn't it? At least you got to enjoy your cuppa and bikkies!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty orange tree in your yard!
ReplyDelete