Like all of Sydney's residents we have been plagued by Bogong moths.
Each evening they come out from wherever they have been hiding during the day and fly a bit further on their journey to cooler climes down south. They actually travel over 1000 km each spring to escape the hot weather. Usually in Sydney we only get one or two as they usually fly inland on the other side of the mountains but some years if the winds are right their flight path takes them over us. This year is one of those times.
Thousands of them fly over each night - feeding on native plants (and we have lots in bloom at the moment) and then resting each day before continuing on.
Each day they find some nook or cranny to hide in and for some reason they like my car! I drive a RAV and when I lift the back door open each morning there are literally hundreds of moths jammed tight along the weather strips.
It's hard to get a photo because if you touch the weather strip they get frightened and fly off to the nearest shade (usually under the car). I tried to get some photos but it was really hard. Believe it or not the photos on Wordless Wednesday show a groups of about 30 or 40 packed tighted together!
If you want to read about them more and read a recipe using them then have a look at this ABC's site. I certainly wont be using them in my cooking but I know that our aboriginal people find them tasty - they are supposed to have a nutty flavour - rolled in the ash of a campfire to cook - yuk!
(the group photo courtesy of Andy Readman)
The moths rest in thick clusters, each moth with its head under the wings of the one in front. Guess that is how they manage to fit so many into my car!
They get everywhere and we always have at least 1/2 a dozen in the house each night - beats me how they get inside. At least we are luckier than some caves in Alpine areas. "There is a carpet of dead moth bodies 1.5 metres thick on the floor of some Alpine caves, built up from thousands of generations." Bogongs Migrating South was written by Abbie Thomas.
They get everywhere and we always have at least 1/2 a dozen in the house each night - beats me how they get inside. At least we are luckier than some caves in Alpine areas. "There is a carpet of dead moth bodies 1.5 metres thick on the floor of some Alpine caves, built up from thousands of generations." Bogongs Migrating South was written by Abbie Thomas.
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