A Dotted Bedsheet

The night was muggy and warm as I parked the car on the side of a remote stretch of Woolgoolga Creek Road. The rainforest was dark around me as I switched the car engine off. Leaving the headlights on, I got out of the car and began setting up my very rudimentary system: a large pale bedsheet suspended in tension (attached to my tripod on one end with pegs, and to a nearby branch on the other end, also with pegs), and waited. My aim? To attract the nocturnal insects of the rainforest: in particular, moths.


The setup was not ideal and looked a bit strange, as I didn't have the knowledge or equipment to set up a proper, more professional-looking system. However, it still worked wonders at attracting the small and mysterious inhabitants of the night; almost immediately, the bedsheet became dotted with insects of various sizes. I was most excited about the moths of course, and some were truly beautiful. The charming Side-lined Emerald (Mixocera latilineata) was a joy to behold, and the upperwing patterns of the Lesser Rice-Leafroller (Marasmia poeyalis) and the Salvinia Stem Borer Moth (Samea multiplicalis) were subtle whilst still being incredibly intricate and symmetrical.

Side-lined Emerald (Mixocera latilineata)

Lesser Rice-Leafroller (Marasmia poeyalis)

Salvinia Stem Borer Moth (Samea multiplicalis)

The fabulous thing about these sorts of nocturnal observations was that I could get right up close to the insects and observe their intricate appearances as they stayed put on the bedsheet, and I could sometimes even ever so gently touch them and lift their wings up to see more details. With this in mind, the most memorable moth that I observed and photographed at this location was the Light Ermine Moth (Ardices canescens).  I was amazed at the vividness of the red colour on its abdomen and the accompanying pattern after I gently lifted its wings up when it was crawling on the road, probably disorientated by the lights.

Light Ermine Moth (Ardices canescens)

Light Ermine Moth (Ardices canescens)

Another very interesting observation was that of a Baccharis Borer (Hellinsia balanotes), which is a species of Plume Moth (Family Pterophoridae) in the Genus Hellinsia. This is actually not a native species; it was introduced to Australia for the control of the Groundsel Tree (Baccharis halimifolia), from which it gets its common name (B. halimifolia is an invasive species along the east  Australian coast). I received help in identifying the Baccharis Borer (and others before this one) on iNaturalist from Harry Nyström, who is a naturalist from Finland who I interviewed in early January 2022 on my show The Birding Today Podcast. The interview was about insects, and how crucially important they are to birds. Through this interview, Harry was a big factor in the ignition of my newfound interest in insects, and I very much thank him for it!

Another lovely addition to the night was a Neat Epidesmia (Epidesmia tryxaria), a member of the Geometer Moths (Family Geometridae).

Baccharis Borer (Hellinsia balanotes)

Neat Epidesmia (Epidesmia tryxaria)

During 2022, I only spent two nights doing this at this location - once in February and once in March. Each session didn't last very long (it was a 10-minute drive from the house in Woolgoolga), as it would not take long until I had photographs of several interesting specimens. Also, I would eventually start feeling a bit itchy and on edge due to all the insects - not the moths, but the other unknown creatures flying about in the dark, and scuttling on the forest floor (what a great amateur entomologist I am!). The humidity and steaminess of the subtropical rainforest at night would also start to become unpleasant after a while, and it was a relief to get back into the air-conditioned and sealed car, and make the short drive home to upload my observations to iNaturalist in the hope my photos could be identified, after giving the bedsheet a good shake (it wasn't our actual bedsheet).

When the sun was up, I would still be exploring nature and documenting my sightings. My favourite location, Arthur's Gap, was very productive in this regard. Something of interest would always be waiting for me when I went up there. I remember being almost hypnotised by a huge Red Bull Ant (Myrmecia gulosa) on the track; they are very perceptive creatures and I could tell by its menacing black eyes and body movements that it knew exactly how close I was to it.

Once, there was a crashing sound in the bush ahead of me as I walking back down to the car, and I quickly located the source of the sound - it was a Lace Monitor (Varanus varius), now staring down back at me through the understorey as I quickly snapped a photo of it.

Red Bull Ant (Myrmecia gulosa)

Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)

It is to be noted that I have omitted quite a few observations of other species here for the sake of brevity, and I will continue do so throughout the volumes of The Butterfly Waltz. Only my most cherished and memorable observations (that also have a relatively high-quality photo associated with them) will make the final cut. This way, a high standard of quality is maintained throughout this work.

That's all for this entry, folks. I will see you in the next one!

G Thomas Doerig
13 March 2023
Cairns

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